


The Fifth Rule

by sensationalxbitch



Series: The Fifth Rule Series [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cheating, F/F, Friends With Benefits, Heather Parks - Freeform, Heather sucks, Riverdale, choni
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:49:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23653375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensationalxbitch/pseuds/sensationalxbitch
Summary: Toni was doing her job for the Blue and Gold - photography. When she attends a high school football game, she comes across a familiar redhead who has admitted that she had been watching Toni at each game. Cheryl, on the other hand, has a girlfriend, Heather, that never attends the games because she claims she is drowning in her own work at Stonewall and Cheryl, looking to fill the void in her life, recruits Toni as a friend with benefits. They establish rules and the consequences for said rules and everything works for a while until someone, or maybe both of them, break the fifth rule.ORCheryl is cheating on Heather with Toni and they establish rules to keep their deal underwraps but with the close quarters, free time, and dependency, one of them breaks the fifth rule, the most important rule of them all.
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom/Heather, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Series: The Fifth Rule Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936594
Comments: 89
Kudos: 342





	1. A Flirt

Toni was taking photos for the Blue and Gold at the football game. The Bulldogs were doing pretty well their whole season, a 5-1 statistic, and were currently leading their game by twelve points. Archie made two touchdowns with ease because Reggie was their best quarterback and just got off his medical suspension. The cheerleaders were loud and entertaining, doing a basic dance routine until they had their big show at the end if and when the Bulldogs won.

Toni walked along the stands of their screaming fans. She heard Archie's mom screaming for him and Toni knew that somewhere up above, Fred was also cheering him on as he always had at every single game. She held her camera steady and took a picture of the football players lined up before they butt heads. She turned to Archie's mom.

"Hi, Mrs. Andrews, do you mind if I take a picture of you for the Blue and Gold? I'm sure it would make Archie happy to see you're here."

"Go for it! You know, I used to work for the paper when I was in school."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I used to take pictures too, but," she tilted her head, "our cameras used to be a lot bigger back then."

"And, yet, you still don't look a day over eighteen," Toni smiled.

Mary laughed and pointed at her, "I remember Archie telling me you were a flirt."

"Just calling it like I see it, Mrs. Andrews," Toni had always been a flirt no matter who it was. She thinks the new art teacher, Ms. Harris, is falling for her tricks. "I'll be taking pictures later when Archie makes another touchdown so expect a few flashes."

Mary winked and smiled at her. It was that reassuring look mothers gave but Toni hasn't had much experience with that because she hasn't seen her mom in ten years.

She walked further down the stands and came face to face with the cheerleading squad. Granted she was a bit higher up and a good twenty feet away, but Cheryl Blossom, the captain, made eye contact with her. Toni smiled. Cheryl Blossom was the one and only cheerleader she couldn't flirt with because she was dating some girl named Heather; she did it anyway. She went to Stonewall Prep with Jughead and was never able to attend Cheryl's performances. That was as much as Toni knew.

Cheryl was lifted into the air by the other cheerleaders. She balanced on one foot and held her other up in the air into a split. The crowd cheered and the band sprung into action, the bass drum making a beat that made everyone's hearts jump out of their chest. The school spirit was exhilarating. Their eyes met again and Toni smiled. She brought the camera to her face and took a picture. Toni refused to use the newer, digital cameras and stuck to the old-fashioned film so she'd see the photo later.

As she took the camera away from her face, Cheryl winked then turned her head back to the crowd. Toni kept her eyes on her though. She was beautiful, a hard exterior to say the least, but beautifully mean in her own way. Cheryl has said a couple of cruel words to Toni in the past but Toni always found it amusing and easy to go off of for a flirty joke. Cheryl always rolled her eyes but, deep down, secretly loved it despite her relationship status.

While Toni had been thinking about the redhead, the Bulldogs scored. She zoned back into reality with the crowd cheering behind her. She quickly took a picture of Mary and then Archie and his friends. The clock just hit zero for the second quarter. Half-time.

Toni walked away from the stands. She always hangs out in her car until the last few minutes of the game just to take a picture of the scoreboard. She began walking towards the parking lot.

"Hey!" Probably some girl found her friend in the parking lot, Toni didn't expect any of her friends to be at the football game, "Topaz!"

Toni turned around to see the familiar cheerleading captain running after her.

"I've never expected to hear _you_ call my name. Sounds good, Red."

Cheryl laughed. Her cheeks were rosy because of the temperature. Football season was always on during the change of the seasons.

"Whatcha need, baby?"

Cheryl exhaled, "I have a girlfriend."

"You came all the way out here to tell me that? I know you have a girlfriend, Blossom, and I'm envious," Toni checked her out obviously. "Anyway, what did you want? I'm freezing out here."

"Can I sit in your car with you? It's just that the locker room only gets half-heated to save money and–"

Toni waved her off, "Say no more. Come with me," she took her Serpent jacket off and placed it on Cheryl's bare shoulders.

They walked to Toni's car. It was nice enough, used no doubt; she didn't have a lot of money. The Serpent held the door open while Cheryl mumbled a, "thank you," and sat down onto the charcoal seat. Toni jogged around the car freezing her ass off. When she got into her Nissan, Cheryl was laughing.

"What's so funny," she turned the key in the ignition and her engine started.

"You jogging around the car. You're really that cold?"

Toni fixed the temperatures and put her heat on. "Fuck yeah I am. Especially 'cause my Serpent jacket is on your shoulders."

"You want it back?"

"No. It looks good on you."

The car fell silent except for the car's vents blowing out air. Just a few more minutes and those vents should be heating the car.

Toni looked over to her. She wasn't on her phone, a rare sight, and she was looking at the field. The Serpent was curious. She obviously wanted something.

"So," Toni started, "why my car?"

"My keys are in the locker room and you were headed toward the parking lot anyway."

"What if I was leaving?"

"You've done the same thing the whole football season. You take a few pictures and then go back to your car until the end of the game."

Toni smiled, "You've been watching me?"

"It's hard not to," Cheryl said quietly.

The Serpent leaned back in her seat, turning her body to the redhead. She arched her brow, "Where's your girlfriend?"

Cheryl finally looked up. "Heather never comes. You know that. I barely see her anyway."

"Sounds like you can get pretty lonely," Toni leaned closer. This was her usual process; make her target uncomfortable (in a sexual tension way, not a creepy way), ask questions until they say something she can lead off of with a flirty joke, and then they'll want her attention all the time. Just like that, the cheerleading squad was hers and they worshiped the floor she walked on. Toni just liked flirting because it was like a game. There were steps to it, a process, and Toni improved every single time she did it.

"Yeah, especially at night."

"I bet. If I had a girl, it would be every night, unless she wasn't feelin' it."

Cheryl nodded silently so Toni filled the void. She wanted to cheer her up and stop her from thinking how lonely it really could be.

Toni sympathized, "Wanna play a game?"

_The 21-Questions fuckboy trap._

"Only if we can fit it in in the next thirty minutes."

_Bless Riverdale High's half-hour half-times._

"We should have enough time. 21-Questions?"

"You first."

Toni looked away and acted as if she had to think about it. She turned her head to her, "How are you so beautiful?"

Cheryl rolled her eyes, "A _real_ question."

"Fine, um," Toni thought for a second, "how long have you and Heather been dating?"

"A year and two months," Cheryl thought about her question, "do you want your jacket back?"

"Nope, like I said, it looks good on you," Toni had her questions set already but she pretended to think every time it was her turn. "When's the last time you saw Heather?"

"Three weeks ago. I surprised her at Stonewall and she didn't seem too happy about it."

"Your turn."

"Have you ever been in a fight?"

"Cheryl," she laughed, "you do realize you're wearing my Serpent jacket? My _gang member_ jacket."

"Yes or no."

"Yes. Plenty of fights. I'd show you my scars but I'm just starting to warm up and I don't feel like taking my shirt off to show you."

Cheryl's eyes fell to Toni's waist and torso, trying to figure out where her scars were.

"Eyes up here."

Cheryl looked back to Toni's face, giving her a look that told her to stop.

"How did you and Heather meet?"

"Why do you keep asking me about her?"

"It's not your turn to ask questions, Red. Now, go."

Cheryl rolled her eyes again, a good sign if you were to ask Toni. She was annoyed but not enough to leave so she must be intrigued. "We met at a football game. She used to go here when she first moved to Riverdale. She joined the cheerleading team and came to the game to see what it was like. We got to talking and I was a little stubborn at first because I wasn't out but then we became friends and she kissed me when we were drinking. We talked about it later and I came out to her and the rest is history."

"Cute."

"Why do you keep bringing up Heather?"

"Do you not want me to?"

Cheryl wagged her finger back and forth, "Uh-uh, my turn."

"Well, I don't know. It interests me."

Cheryl shrugged as if to say fair enough.

"When's the last time you had sex?"

Cheryl was shocked by that one. She was semi-expecting it because of all the talk about Heather but the question itself was so bold, so direct.

Cheryl opened her mouth and closed it. She wanted to be mad but couldn't because it had been an embarrassingly long time since her last intimate moment with Heather. She jumped to lying because it was easy and she was rather good with it. "Yesterday."

Toni scoffed. She rolled her tongue between her teeth, "liar."

"How do you know?"

"I listen to you, ya know. You just said you haven't seen your girlfriend in three weeks. You can be honest with me. Do I look like someone who judges?"

Cheryl shook her head.

"When was the last time?"

Cheryl was quiet and looked down. Toni's hand was on the center console and Cheryl's knee was against the side of it. Her hand moved forward slightly towards the redhead.

"Was it the last time you saw her?"

Cheryl shook her head and wet her lips with her tongue. She watched Toni's hand.

"Really? That surprises me," her voice dropped down an octave and now it was a sexy rasp that any girl can hardly resist.

"Why?"

"Because you're fucking gorgeous. Because you're actually cool to hang out with. Because Heather should appreciate that you went to surprise her at school no matter how bad of a day she was having. Look, I don't know much about you but these past ten minutes have been the best of any football game I've been to all season."

Cheryl just watched her. Truthfully, she hasn't had sex in a year because Heather has been so busy with school and she was busy with college applications over the summer. She barely had time for Cheryl.

"All I'm saying is that, if we were dating, then we would be having sex all the time."

Cheryl giggled which made Toni laugh.

When it died down, Toni continued, "Can I tell you something?"

And that's when Cheryl became aware of the hand on her thigh. She was also aware that she had been caressing Toni's arm. It had all been subconscious and it happened when they were laughing. Cheryl is going to allow it.

They were just friends.

"Sure."

"Do you remember that picture I took of you right before we hit half-time?"

Cheryl nodded.

"Well I didn't take that for the paper. I was going to develop it and–"

"Store it with the rest of your photos of teenage girls?" Cheryl joked.

Toni looked at her with a smile. "No, I was going to give it to you so you can post it but I guess you're not getting it now."

"Fine. Keep it."

Toni was intrigued by that, "For what?"

"To remember tonight because," Cheryl tilted her head towards Toni and cutely poked her chest, "you and I are friends now. It can be a reminder of our friendship."

"I think the perfume you're leaving on my jacket will be reminder enough."

They laughed.

Cheryl cleared her throat, "So, um, what else would happen if we were hypothetically dating?"

Toni began caressing Cheryl's thigh which shot a spark through the redhead. The Serpent tried to hide her smirk. "Um, all kinds of things. We'd go to Pop's, Sweetwater River, you'd meet my friends on the Southside, I'd get closer to your friends–"

"I meant..." Cheryl was nervous. The lack of eye contact was a telltale, " _physically,_ what would we be doing?"

_Gotcha._

Toni bit her lip and exhaled a laugh. She leaned in closer and their eyes met. "We would, uh, hold hands a lot, touch each other a lot," Toni leaned in closer and brushed back a strand of red hair behind her ear. Cheryl closed her eyes as Toni continued, "we would kiss so much that our friends would be annoyed."

Cheryl chuckled softly.

"We'd text pictures to each other all day at school, we would have sex whenever we wanted."

Toni had her eyes on Cheryl's lips. They were slightly opened.

"For the classes we do have apart, you'd miss the feeling of my hands on your thighs and my lips on your neck." Toni's words were whispered as she leaned slowly to kiss Cheryl.

"Toni..." She breathed.

"Tell me to stop."

Toni grabbed the redhead's hand and put it on her cheek. She held onto Cheryl's waist.

"Toni," she whispered onto her lips. Their foreheads were leaning against each other now.

"Say: _Toni, I need you to stop._ "

Cheryl never said those words and Toni didn't think she was going to. The Serpent leaned in a little bit closer and felt Cheryl move in to kiss her. Cheryl initiated it which told Toni that everything she did was wanted. Toni also realized that this kiss means she cannot tell anyone and if she were to let it slip, her tongue would be clipped by Cheryl.

After all the examining of Cheryl's lips, Toni had finally come to a conclusion.

_Those are the best damn lips this world has to offer._

Toni let Cheryl set the pace so she had the ability to cut loose whenever she wanted.

But there was no stopping in sight because Cheryl was the one that went full force, her nails digging in deliciously into Toni's scalp and the Serpent was absolutely loving it. Her hands moved from her waist to her backside and clawed.

Cheryl took that as a sign to straddle her lap so she crawled over the console, only breaking their lips apart to make the transition as flawless as possible. They reconnected their lips.

Toni's hands found their spot on Cheryl's ass and clawed again. She wanted to go further but didn't want to pressure Cheryl into anything, plus they didn't have much time or privacy. To test her boundaries, Toni tugged on Cheryl's cheerleading skirt.

The redhead moaned quietly. Toni could've taken her right then and there.

Cheryl's ringtone went off in the passenger seat.

"Ignore it," Toni mumbled against her.

Cheryl went for her phone anyway and Toni groaned in frustration.

Her face flushed.

"Who is it?"

"Heather."

"Shit," Toni whispered.

"Don't make a sound," Cheryl answered the phone. "Hey, babe, what's up?"

"Hey, I was just wondering how the game was going. I wish I could be there, I have so much homework."

"The game is going great," she looked down at Toni, "Best game of the year."

Toni raised an eyebrow and smiled. She wanted to tease Cheryl while she was on the phone so she put her hand around Cheryl's neck and pulled her closer.

She seemed to like that.

"You should come to Stonewall soon. I should be free on Tuesday because I'm caught up with everything so maybe we can just hang out in my dorm for a few hours?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I've been wanting to come see you."

Toni leaned up and kissed Cheryl's neck. The redhead moaned quietly into the receiver.

"What was that? You okay, Cher?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm in the locker room. It just feels so good to sit down."

"Oh, okay," Heather was convinced. "I'm going to let you go so you can hang out with your friends. Text me when you get home, I don't know if I'll be awake but–"

"No worries. I'll just text you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Night, Cheryl."

Cheryl hung the phone up. They haven't said I love you in about three months.

"So," Toni started with the obvious, "do you regret it?"

Cheryl looked at her for a moment then kissed her.

Toni was smiling into it.

"On the contrary. I don't regret it as much as I want it."

Toni smiled again and squeezed the redhead's thighs. " _We_ are going to have a lot of fun, Bombshell."

She giggled and shook her head. Half-time had about ten minutes left.

Toni noticed the time as well.

"What did you wanna do in the next ten minutes?" Toni leaned up to kiss her.

Cheryl only kissed her a few more times and then pulled back. "We are going to lose track of time if we do that again."

"True, but you're irresistible and I could do this for the rest of my life."

Cheryl blushed. "You're cute."

"Cute enough to keep kissing me?"

"Aw," Cheryl caressed her cheek, "you _just_ missed the mark on that one." She went back to the passenger seat.

"Damn."

"We need to talk about what just happened."

"You cheated on your girlfriend and–"

"Don't," Cheryl did not want Toni to bring up Heather anymore. "From this point on, you do not speak of Heather."

Toni nodded, "So this means this isn't the end of what just happened."

"Let's make a deal," she wet her lips and turned her body more towards Toni. "I want to continue this but we need to set a few rules."

"I'm listening."

"Number one, do not mention Heather."

"She's the last thing on my mind right now."

Cheryl tried to hide her blush. "Number two, you do not tell anyone. Not anyone from the Southside, not Veronica, and especially not Jughead."

Jughead went to school with Heather. "You have my word."

"Third, don't develop feelings for me."

"Same rule goes to you."

"Fourth–"

"You might have to write these down," Toni joked.

Cheryl blinked slowly, " _Fourth,_ you come when I call no matter what time it is. If there's any reason you can't then you tell me, but if you're sitting at home doing nothing and I ask you to come over, then you better be on your way."

"Can I set my rules now?"

Cheryl nodded and moved the sun visor down to check herself in the mirror. She reapplied her lipstick and fixed her hair.

"One, don't fall in love with me."

She rolled her eyes.

"Two, I'm the top."

"I agree with that one."

"Three, I call, you come, and four, let me take you out on one date."

"I can't do number four."

"It'll look like we're just two friends hanging out," Toni explained.

"But we aren't normally friends."

"Then we can work out some excuse. If you don't agree to my terms then this isn't happening."

Cheryl groaned and leaned her head on the seat. "Fine. Do we have a deal?"

"Tell me one more time that you want me."

Cheryl leaned forward and kissed Toni. She pulled away slightly. "I want you."

"Then we have a deal," Toni held her hand out to shake.

Cheryl took it gladly.

"I promise to give it to you whenever, wherever, no distractions, no interruption."

"Give me your number," Cheryl pulled her phone out and handed it to Toni.

She typed away and signed her name as **toni topaz** with a snake emoji.

She handed it back. "You should probably get back on the field. Half-time ends in five."

"You're right," she sighed. "I'm so warm though," she pouted.

"I'll warm you up after the game."

"How?"

"We don't have enough time for that," Toni laughed. "Now, go show off to the student section."

Cheryl leaned forward for one last kiss and then exited. Toni watched her go.

That was the hottest thing that had ever happened to Toni. She has no idea what she had just gotten herself into but she can't wait to get between those long legs.

Cheryl called her.

"You missin' me already, Red?"

"It was meant to give you my number. It was supposed to be a drop call but you picked up too fast. Must be eager."

"You wish. I'll text you after the game."

"Bye."

Toni looked to her passenger seat and saw the Serpent jacket. She put it back on and immediately smelled the perfume coating it. She closed her eyes and pretended Cheryl was in her lap again.

*

It was a couple hours after their agreement and Toni hadn't stopped thinking about it. She wondered where she was and if she had a party afterwards. After all, Riverdale High won again and they usually celebrated.

She decided to call her because texting was too tame and that voice of hers hasn't left Toni's brain since.

It rang twice before she finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Red."

"Oh, hey, Toni," she sounded excited to hear from her.

"I was wondering how your game went. I saw we won so that's good."

"I was freezing as soon as I got out of your car. Thank you for letting me sit with you by the way, I don't think I ever said that."

"You don't have to thank me. In fact, I think you thanked me when you let me kiss you."

She was silent for a moment, "You haven't told anyone right?"

"Hasn't left my mind and I doubt it ever will, so our secret is safe with me. No worries."

Cheryl was silent again.

"You're quiet. What's goin' on?"

"I just..." she sighed.

"Are you regretting what happened? You can call it whenever–"

"No, it's not that. I just... really... wish you were here right now."

"I could be if you want me to."

Cheryl giggled over the line and Toni smiled. Toni was in her trailer on the couch wishing that she had someone to cuddle up to. Cheryl came to mind.

"That's the deal right," Toni said.

"You got it."

"So why don't you ask me to come over right now?"

Cheryl hesitated. "Well we just made the deal tonight. I wasn't sure if it was too early."

"It's not," Toni wanted Cheryl to invite her over first but, as the situation lies, Cheryl was nervous and Toni knew it. The Serpent had to take the reins.

"Okay."

"I want you to come over right now, Cheryl."

She heard the other girl gulp over the phone which Toni thought was cute.

"I don't know where you live."

"You're right," Toni smiled, "almost as if I can't pick you up and bring you here."

"On your motorcycle? Pass."

"But what about our deal? I call, you come, you can't say no unless there is something too dire you need to bring all of your attention to."

"Our deal never mentioned anything about your motorcycle."

"Where are you right now?"

"Thistlehouse."

"How 'bout I come over then?" Toni smirked to herself, "since you wanna make it so difficult."

Toni knew she was on the other side of the phone shaking her head.

"Fine. Mother's out tonight and my Nana went to bed already. Just..." she sighed, "don't be loud when you come up."

"I promise not to be loud but I expect you to be a little later into the night."

"Ha, ha, very funny."

"I'll leave in a few."

"Okay."

"Bye," Toni hung up, went to fix her makeup and put her jacket on. She honestly couldn't believe this was happening.


	2. A White Lie

"Hey, I'm here," Cheryl pulled her key from the ignition and stepped out.

"Okay, you remember how to get to my room right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Stay on the phone with me just in case."

"Of course, baby."

Cheryl went to the front of the building and pushed the door open. She went to the front where she was met with a very strict looking woman. Her outfit was tight and bland, almost like a librarian, as her eyeglasses hung loose around her neck by a chain.

"Excuse me?" She looked up from her desk almost shocked to see another person in the building.

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Heather Parks, she's in room 209."

"Yes, of course. I'll write your name down," she looked up to Cheryl.

"Cheryl Blossom."

"Noted. Thank you, sweetheart."

Cheryl silently smiled and kept walking down the hall. "Got past the guards," she joked, "now I'm on my way."

"Good job, codebreaker. Let's hope Bret doesn't see you."

Cheryl turned the corner only to see the one person Heather had warned her about. "Oh, hello Bret."

Heather groaned over the phone.

"Hello, Cheryl, how are you doing this fine afternoon?"

"I'm great, thanks for asking."

Bret, in the past, has tried flirting with Cheryl but was always taken down a peg. He thought rich should marry rich as if to avoid any money theft in a divorce. Cheryl didn't roll that way, financially or romantically.

"Here to see Heather?"

"Yeah, I'm on the way to her dorm right now."

"Well, don't let me stop you," he put his hands up and took a step out of her way. "You're still girls only?"

A repetitive question from him. "Since birth. Not like I have a choice."

"If you ever change your mind–"

"I'll be sure to call you," she said sarcastically and began moving down the hall.

"Have a good one, Blossom!" He shouted back at her.

Cheryl just waved behind her and moved the phone back to her ear.

"I'm so happy you're still gay," Heather joked on the phone.

"I still have his number. I'm hoping you can convince me to stay that way," Cheryl joked as she placed her hand on the knob and hung up the phone.

Heather stood from her desk and went to kiss Cheryl in greeting. "Hey, babe."

"Hello," Cheryl smiled against her lips. She went in for more but her girlfriend backed away and went to her desk.

"Sorry, I would've walked you here from the door but I've got so much work to do."

Cheryl took a few steps toward her and leaned her hand on the edge of the desk. "I thought you said you were free?"

"I thought I was. Turns out my math teacher loves homework."

Cheryl pursed her lips and nodded. She turned to Heather's bed and laid down.

"I'm sorry, babe. Let me just finish these problems and then we can grab lunch or something."

She sighed, "okay."

So, Heather got to work and Cheryl began swiping through her social media. Bored out of her mind, she kept swiping as if that will prove for some mild entertainment. She came across a photo that Donna, another student at Stonewall, had posted. It was her, Bret, Jonathan, Joan, Jughead, and Heather. Cheryl couldn't remember a time where Heather wasn't doing work so she must have lied to her girlfriend at some point this week. Her eyebrows furrowed and she wondered what day this photo was taken. The caption read, **A little late but a night not forgotten.**

"Hey, how's Donna?"

Heather kept her face glued to her notebooks. "Good, why?"

"Haven't seen her in a while. What about Joan? She's fun."

"I've been trying to keep up with my work so I haven't seen either of them in a little bit. Did you want me to invite them to lunch with us?"

"No, that's okay. I'm sure I'll run into them sometime today."

"Like Bret."

Cheryl didn't answer. She was lying. It shouldn't have been a big deal except that there was no reason to lie especially since Cheryl is always so understanding when Heather has homework.

She brushed it off and kept going through her phone until she had received a message.

 **Toni:** _What are you doing, gorgeous?_

It was annoying that Cheryl had butterflies from that. It's been a while since someone has complimented her or called her names like that. She was so used to _babe._

 **Cheryl:** _With Heather._

 **Toni:** _Boriiiiiing. Come hang out with me._

And for a second, Cheryl considered it but ultimately fought against that choice because it was teetering on one of the rules.

 **Cheryl:** _Nope._

 **Toni:** _Why not? :(_

 **Cheryl:** _We're getting lunch when she finishes her homework. Whenever that is._

 **Toni:** _Sounds like someone's cranky. Want me to put a smile on that pretty face?_

 **Cheryl:** _Try all you want. I'm not budging._

 **Toni:** _You're cute... and I love a challenge._

Over the past two months of Cheryl and Toni's situation, they had established refined rules that applied to both parties. 

**Number one:** Do not speak of Heather unless it is a warning.  
**Number two:** Do not tell anyone.  
**Number three:** You are at the mercy of my beck and call unless you are in a situation that you cannot get out of or needs all of your attention.  
**Number four:** Cheryl will not ride on Toni's motorcycle  
**Number five:** Do not develop feelings.

The only situations that applied for Number three was if Cheryl was with Heather, Toni had Serpent business (although she sometimes came after a Serpent mission to take out her frustration with Cheryl), or if there was a family emergency. Cheryl had set a custom vibration for Toni's texts so that she wouldn't accidentally pull her phone out in front of Heather and expose herself and Toni did the same. They kept things more discreet than any drug deal ever seen on Riverdale's soil. They had already hooked up in the locker room, the bathroom, Cheryl's car and, weirdly, Jughead's trailer where Toni had stayed for a brief moment when her uncle came home. Shockingly, no one had noticed Cheryl's vibrant red car and even if they did, she was with Betty that night. Their deal had been airtight and no one knew a thing.

**Snapchat**  
**from Toni Topaz**

_Oh, that can't be good._

Something in Cheryl knew that she shouldn't open it with her girlfriend in the room but the greater part of Cheryl, the part that was now controlling her finger to press the notification, was intrigued and excited at what she might find.

Just as she suspected, it was a nude picture. Toni was completely naked, wrapped in her sheets, her back arched a bit (Cheryl found this to be natural over the course of the past two months. It was just the way her body curved), her arm blocking her nipple and pushing her breast up to seem fuller, and her thumb being loosely sucked between her glossy lips. Her face, perhaps the best part of her body in Cheryl's opinion, was mostly out of view and the center of the photo was her voluptuous curves and shape of her body. Cheryl was pleased and had to prevent herself from verbally saying how much she was. She stared at the photo for a few seconds more, her cheeks growing red, as her eyes carelessly roamed over every scar and curve. She felt herself growing hot and that's when she realized that this wasn't the time or place. Clicking off the photo, she received another text.

**Toni:** _All that could be yours..._

**Cheryl:** _Now is not the time, Antoinette._

 **Toni:** _What are you full-naming me for??_

Cheryl rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. She turned to Heather.

"How's it going over there?"

"Not right now, babe. I'm in the zone. Should be another thirty minutes at max."

Cheryl thought for a moment. "Did you want me to go? We can grab lunch another day?"

"You can wait another thirty minutes, Cher. I wanna hang out with you. I feel like we barely see each other anymore."

Cheryl sighed and turned back to her phone, mumbling, "Probably because you seem so busy with your friends."

"What was that?"

"Hm?" Cheryl kept her eyes to her phone. "I didn't say anything."

"I heard you."

Cheryl looked at her girlfriend. Her eyes no longer attractive, her hair no longer shiny and dreamy, her face now cold and unknown. Cheryl didn't want to break up with her, she wanted to work things out.

"What did you say, Cheryl?"

"I said we probably don't see each other that often because you're always with your friends."

"Friends? Do you mean my math and english homework? That better be what you mean because I haven't stepped away from this desk since–"

"Since you hung out with Donna, Joan, Jonathan, Jughead, and Bret?"

Heather's face sunk. "How did you know about that?"

Cheryl stood. "If you're trying to lie to your girlfriend, the least you could do is ask everyone in the group to lie with you," Cheryl looked down at her phone and pulled up the picture to show her the proof, "or at the very least not post to their account."

Heather looked at the photo and back up to Cheryl. She looked scared, which was weird because why would should she be scared? Why did she even lie in the first place?

"Cher, I'm so sorry–"

"What were you doing anyway?" The redhead put her phone away and laughed, "I mean besides telling me you were too busy with schoolwork."

Her mouth opened and closed dumbly. She looked around at the floor trying to find an answer but any delinquent would know that no answers can be found up on the ceiling nor on the floorboards.

"Why did you lie?"

Heather's scattered eyes made their way back to Cheryl's own.

"I've been so supportive in the past with your friends and your homework. You know I wouldn't have minded you going out with the Stonewall Five. After all of the missed football games, the rain checks, the waiting, I still stood by you and tried my best to hang out with you. I only ask that I'm given the same respect. So, why did you lie?"

"To avoid _this_ fight."

"Did a shit job of that."

Heather stood to match Cheryl. "I lied because I didn't know how to tell you that I wanted to hang out with my friends for the night. I didn't want you thinking that I was pushing you away or that I didn't want to hang out with you. I know it's been a while since we had a date together and it's mostly my fault but if I want to hang out with you, I want to be fully engaged with you. I want to be present and, that night, they had asked me to come over for drinks. I thought about asking you to join us but we hadn't had time alone in a while."

"Heather, you're my _girlfriend._ You know I wouldn't have cared where we were, if we were in some dorm room at Stonewall drinking cheap vodka or in a booth alone at Pop's. Besides, I like your friends and I like you. There was no reason to lie to me and, regardless if that is the true story or not, I am going to believe you because I trust my girlfriend."

Heather nodded silently. She held Cheryl's hand and smiled. "How about we get lunch now? I'll push everything off until later."

Still riled up, Cheryl refused. She retracted her hand. "See how easy that was? I can only imagine how easy it was the other days you seemed piled up with work." Cheryl shook her head, grabbed her purse, and took steps toward the door. "We'll talk later when I feel more calm."

"So no lunch?"

Cheryl opened the door and sighed. She looked back at her, "Rain check."

*

"What's up, good lookin'?"

"Meet me at my house right fucking now."

"Thought you were busy."

"We got into a fight and I need you to fuck me."

Toni was quiet for a moment. "You are somethin' else, Red," she was smiling over the phone.

"So are you coming or not?"

"Be there in ten."

Cheryl hung up and sped down the road. She was about five minutes from Thistlehouse but the drive seemed quicker, perhaps because of the rage. She needed to get her frustration out and what better person to take it out on than Toni.

Cheryl parked her car in the driveway and saw Toni's bike already there as she leaned on it. She smiled at Cheryl when they met eyes.

The redhead got out of her car and slammed the door, locking it as she made her way over to Toni.

"You're late, Red Hot," Toni teased.

"Shut up," Cheryl breathed and smashed her lips against her. Toni took it as it was and tried to match her ferocity.

Cheryl tugged on her belt loops and brought her closer to the house. She broke off the kiss so it would be a faster process in getting them both to lay down.

"I like when you're mad, Blossom."

Cheryl scoffed a laugh, "My girlfriend doesn't."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Cheryl looked at her as she put the key into the front door. She kissed Toni hard. "You're crazy if you think I wanna talk right now."

Toni just smiled.

Cheryl unlocked the door and closed it once they were both in. She led them upstairs to her bedroom where she shut the door once again.

Toni lifted her up and pinned her on the wall beside the door. Cheryl wrapped her arms around Toni's neck possessively and got lost in the kiss. She brought them over to the bed and laid Cheryl down flat.

"What are you gonna do to me?" Cheryl asked breathlessly.

"Well," she straddled Cheryl, "when you called me and you said you were frustrated, I packed something that I thought you'd enjoy. If you don't wanna do it, we don't have to." Toni reached down to her backpack that Cheryl had just noticed. She pulled out a navy blue strap-on. "Like I said, don't feel like you have to do it."

Cheryl was silent for a moment as she looked at it. Then a smile broke out on her face.

"I wanna do it."

Toni leaned down and kissed her.

"I trust you, Toni."

Toni heard those words spoken breathlessly and a genuine sediment. She wondered if those words met anything more than this moment. They carried weight.

She undressed Cheryl and put on the harness for the strap-on. It pushed against her clit in all the right ways. "Suck it."

Cheryl sat up immediately and went down on the dildo. Toni's eyes filled up with ecstasy as she watched Cheryl suck her fake dick. It moved against her clit as the Blossom bobbed her head and Toni noticed that she had begun touching herself. "Spit on it."

Cheryl did and rubbed her saliva all over it so it was easy to slip in. "Alright, lay back."

The redhead obeyed as Toni adjusted herself between her pale thighs.

"Have you done this before?" She questioned.

Toni nodded. "Only a few times. Mostly if they asked for it, but," Toni leaned down and hovered her body over hers. "You're frustrated and it'll be easier to pull an orgasm out of you with this."

Toni slipped it in slowly and watched Cheryl as her mouth opened wide and her eyes closed. She gasped and moaned quietly.

"I'll give you a minute," Toni said quietly as she peppered her cheeks with light kisses. "If you want to stop, just let me know and I'll be happy to eat you out."

Cheryl smiled lazily at that as she slowly adjusted to the feeling of the strap-on inside her. It hit every inch of her, even the good parts that Toni never seemed to miss.

As her face slowly became less wrinkled and stilled, Toni pulled out and thrusted in slowly. "Feel good?"

"So fucking good."

Toni hummed in approval as she kissed Cheryl gently, only to be kissed back in full force. The redhead was needy, Toni liked that. Her pristine nails dug into Toni's hair as she kissed.

Toni's thrusts were slow and rhythmic but slowly gaining speed as Cheryl began to fully adjust and enjoy it. She was moaning while Toni sped up her movements slightly. She held Cheryl's thighs behind her back to thrust into her deeper while the redhead was a moaning mess and clawing down her back.

"Harder, Toni, fuck!"

"Yes, ma'am," she teased and began thrusting harder and faster. The strap-on was rubbing on Toni's clit in all the right ways and she felt herself climbing the hill toward her peak.

Toni slowed her thrusts. She pressed her lips to Cheryl and spun them so she was on the bottom. Between their kisses and heavy breathing, Toni whispered, "Ride it."

Cheryl moaned as her face wrinkled in pleasure. She began going faster and Toni squeezed her ass, trying to control the movements as she slammed into her.

"Oh my god, Toni!" She groaned as she sat up straighter and rode the strap-on. "I'm so close."

"Keep goin', baby. You look so hot right now," Toni urged on and moaned as the toy hit all the right spots on her clit.

Cheryl's moans grew louder as her hips seemed to move sporadically. Toni held her hips down and slammed into her. " _Toni! Fuck! Fuck!_ "

Cheryl came hard but Toni kept going. She didn't let up, not even a little bit.

"Gimme one more, Cheryl."

"I don't- I don't know if I can," she fell to Toni and dug her face in her neck. "I'm so sensitive, Toni... but it feels _so_ good."

"You're doin' so good for me."

Toni's breathing was getting heavy and she was about to come, so was Cheryl for the second time. She pushed on although her muscles ached. She was pistoning into Cheryl as she moaned loudly into her neck and then it was all over. Cheryl silently screamed into Toni's skin as the shorter girl's back arched. The Blossom held onto Toni's shoulders as if it was the only thing keeping her afloat.

Toni thrusted a few more times slowly as they both came down from their peaks.

"Holy fuck," Toni breathed as she laughed. "You okay, Red?"

Cheryl was still trying to regain her breath as she leaned up to meet her eyes. "Totally," she smiled and kissed her.

Cheryl sat up to take the toy out of her and then rolled onto her back beside Toni. "I feel better."

"Good," Toni sighed. "I'm gonna put this in the sink."

Cheryl snuggled up with the sheets as she felt like she was drifting.

"You're gonna sleep?"

"What else would you like me to do?"

"Come shower with me," Toni grinned from the bathroom door.

Cheryl opened her eyes and looked at her. "A shower _does_ sound good right now."

"I knew it would," Toni smiled into the bathroom and started the shower. She made sure it was burning hot, how Cheryl likes, and got in herself. Cheryl came in moments later.

The redhead sighed when the water hit her. It felt good.

"Thank you for today, Toni," she pecked her lips.

"Seems like you needed it. You know what else you need?"

Cheryl hummed in response.

"A nice long shower to think. I'll leave you to it."

Toni exited the shower but not without another kiss to the redhead.

Cheryl did what she was told, extending the shower to forty minutes alone with her thoughts. She cleaned the strap-on that was in the sink too.

While Cheryl was in the shower, Toni had taken her motorcycle to the classic diner in town. After hanging out with Cheryl for the past two months, they had gone out a few times, only doing take-out orders of course, and Toni has seen Cheryl eat many things there. She didn't know what her favorite meal would be so she settled for two orders of chicken tenders with fries and two medium-sized milkshakes, one vanilla and one strawberry. Luckily, Pop was quick and Toni made it back in time to hear the shower stop running. She placed the food on the dining table, the straws in the milkshakes, and a fork and knife just in case Cheryl wasn't into finger food.

"Toni?"

She heard Cheryl call from upstairs.

"Down here!"

Toni heard her footsteps on the stairs and a smile cracked onto her face.

Cheryl spotted the food and looked to Toni for an explanation.

"Since you and... _the one who shall not be named_ didn't get lunch, I figured you might be starving."

Her eyes softened as she made her way over to the Serpent. " _You,_ " she wrapped her arms around her neck, "are the cutest person ever."

Toni pecked her lips quickly and moved her arms off of her to sit down. "I, uh, wasn't sure what you'd like so I played it safe and got you chicken."

"Thank you."

They sat down to eat, making jokes and talking about their day to one another. Toni didn't bring up Heather in case Cheryl didn't want to talk about it but the redhead made quick work of that herself.

"When I pulled into the school, she told me to meet her at her dorm. I haven't been there a lot so I was just going off of memory and then I ran into Bret."

"Who's that?"

"Some Stonewall ass that thinks being gay is a choice. I don't think he's homophobic, just a little unclear about the whole thing."

"Well, he can't help being stupid," Toni chuckled.

"He always tries to ask me out and flirt with me."

"You tell him you're strictly into girls?"

"Just doesn't seem to get the hint," she shook her head and they laughed. "So I got to her dorm and she was working on homework. She told me to wait thirty minutes until she was done and then I saw a picture of her with her friends which was weird considering she's been telling me she's been busy for the past two weeks."

"I'm guessin' you brought it up to her?"

"Probably not in the best way but yeah. She said that she feels we barely hang out anymore and then I brought up the picture which seemed to shut her up. I told her how I always support her with her work and friends and everything and how I never get anything back. She admitted she lied to me about going out with her friends and that I probably wouldn't have wanted to hang out with them. I don't understand that, but anyway, I blew up on her and left."

"Did she seem a little sorry?"

"Before I left, our argument died down and she asked me if I wanted to go to lunch to which I responded, _you see how easy that was?_ and then I gave her a raincheck and left."

Toni popped a fry into her mouth. "Damn, Bombshell. I'd hate arguing with you," she chuckled lowly, "but I think I'd love it at the same time."

"Why's that?" She sipped on her shake.

"You're hot when you're mad."

Cheryl laughed and rolled her eyes. She looked down at Toni's food. "You all done?"

Toni nodded, only spotting a couple more fries in her to-go container. Cheryl picked their boxes up, a few dirty napkins, and the unused utensils and went to the kitchen. Toni watched her.

"I have an idea."

"I'm scared to ask," Cheryl's voice echoed from the kitchen.

"Do you have facial stuff?"

"Obviously."

"Alright, didn't ask for the sass."

Cheryl appeared at the kitchen entrance and watched Toni.

"Wanna do facials?"

"Of course. You know I've been dying to do that with you."

Toni's stomach filled with butterflies, which pissed her off, and pushed down those feelings before getting up and following Cheryl upstairs.

Few minutes later, they both had blue face masks on and a timer counting down from twenty minutes. Toni had put on music while her and Cheryl sang and danced around to it. They were making each other laugh and having a ton of fun in the bathroom. It was stupid and goofy but there was no better way than spending a Sunday afternoon with one of your friends. Their shirts were off to avoid staining them with the face cream but it was no way in a sexual context.

The timer rang loudly in the bathroom and Toni turned the music down low. Cheryl washed her mask off first, Toni did it second. Toni watched Cheryl through the mirror as she took her hair out of its ponytail and into its natural waves. She was mesmerized and, so, she came up behind Cheryl and pressed light kisses to her shoulder.

"You're so beautiful," she mumbled and moved on to her neck.

Cheryl hummed in appreciation and leaned back into the Serpent. "What made you finally wanna do a face mask with me?"

"Well," Toni spun her around so they were facing each other. She steered Cheryl toward the nearest wall and backed her up against it slowly. "You were upset and I wanted to cheer you up. I had to sacrifice my non-existent skincare routine so you should be thankful," she joked.

"Believe me, I am," Cheryl pulled the hair tie out of Toni's hair and watched it bounce into its natural curls. She loved her curls. They kissed a few times before Toni's hands had locked with Cheryl's and made sure she was kept still on the wall. Toni's kisses began traveling lower until they were on Cheryl's breasts.

Toni untied Cheryl's sweatpants and pushed them down with the help of the redhead of course.

A few more seconds of teasing and then Toni was eating her out. Cheryl was moaning before it even began and she wasn't going to last long. The redhead was screaming and crying out Toni's name as her legs felt weak and barely able to support herself. Toni held her up and made sure to finish the job to completion. After Cheryl was worked through her orgasm, Toni lifted her thighs off of her shoulders and kissed her way up her body to her lips. Cheryl was still breathing heavy.

"You're insatiable."

"What can I say? I like the way you taste."

Cheryl kissed her passionately which Toni thought was cute.

"You wanna take a nap?"

Cheryl nodded sleepily so Toni picked her up and moved her to the bed. She carried her like they were newlyweds and set her down on her favorite side of the bed. Toni laid on the other side.

Cheryl, no matter how tired she felt, wanted to be closer to the other girl so she scurried over, draped a leg over her middle, and squeezed her side.

"I always forget you like to cuddle."

"You don't seem all that opposed," she spoke through a yawn.

Toni giggled, "Get some rest, Bombshell. I don't think we'll be sleeping much tonight."

Cheryl hummed in appreciation, "Your plan worked because I am definitely–"

Toni's phone started ringing so she grabbed it off the nightstand beside her and put it up to her ear.

"–cheered up," Cheryl finished.

"What? Right now?" Toni asked over the phone. "Alright, yeah, I'll take care of it. Gimme twenty max."

She hung up and stood off the bed. "Serpents call you in?"

"Yeah, something with the Ghoulies," she put her boots on.

"You should be careful."

"And you should be sleeping." Toni went to the bathroom and picked Cheryl's pants off the floor to set them beside her bed. She hovered over her. "You need anything before I go?"

Cheryl, eyes closed and looking asleep, mumbled, "Kisses."

Toni smiled, "How many?"

"Ten million."

"Gotta make it lower than that, Cher. I gotta leave in a minute."

"One million."

Toni sighed, "Three for now 'cause you're being greedy," Toni leaned down and kissed her cheek twice. The last kiss to her cheek was a bit longer than the others. "Anything else, my Queen?"

Cheryl rolled over slightly and cupped Toni's cheek. She caressed the soft skin there as she looked into her eyes. "Be careful, Toni."

"I will," she leaned forward again for a parting kiss and turned to the bedroom door. "I'll text you when it's over."

Toni left Thistlehouse and sat on her bike. _Be careful, Toni_ was lingering in her head. It was filled with so much emotion and that's when it hit Toni.

Maybe they were both breaking the fifth rule.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since you guys seemed to enjoy the story so much, I decided to post chapter 2 today. Don't expect daily updates because I still have a lot to write but I loved all of your messages and wanted to make you guys happy :)


	3. Friends That Have Sex Sometimes

Two more months passed by and their situation was still in full-swing. Cheryl was still dating Heather and Toni was still fucking Cheryl.

**Cheryl:** _Hey, are you coming to the party tonight?_

**Toni:** _Nope. What party?_

**Cheryl:** _Reggie is having a party before spring break! Gonna be fun._

**Toni:** _Nah, not really my scene. I'll probably hang out with my boys tonight and doesn't Reggie know that spring break isn't for another three weeks?_

**Cheryl:** _Just a theme. You know he isn't the smartest Bulldog at the pound. Suit yourself, lover._

It was small things like that that made Toni want to tell Cheryl to break up with Heather and just date her instead. There was no way that Heather was getting this same treatment. They fight all the time and they never hang out. Toni was still confused as to why Cheryl stayed in a relationship with Heather but it wasn't her business so she didn't really care. Whatever made the redhead happy, Toni was happy to do.

School came and went quick and the Bulldogs and Vixens were scurrying out of the halls to get set up for the rager tonight. Luckily, Reggie Mantle had a large home with many places for beer kegs, beer pong, hook-ups, and a heated pool in case it was a chilly night. Cheryl had been looking forward to a night where she can let loose but, truth be told, she wouldn't mind a quiet night just drinking with one other person.

Heather wasn't coming tonight, like usual. She had passed up one of Reggie Mantle's parties of the year: the famous countdown to spring break. Cheryl didn't even bother to know the excuse this time but she wasn't mad at her, they had worked out the fight they had two months ago and began seeing each other more to make up for time lost.

Heather was a nice girl, Cheryl thought. They got along well together and Cheryl felt she loved her once but she wanted to dig up those feelings and eventually place them back onto the face she felt like she once knew. It was hard losing her emotionally and then physically and then all together but they were working on it. Couples were supposed to fight, it makes the relationship healthy. Right?

Toni, on the other hand, was definitely someone she wouldn't mind being with everyday. She was a great friend and an amazing lover. She was easy to get into contact with and she always had time for Cheryl. When Cheryl was down, Toni made sure to bring her back up even if it was something Toni didn't want to do. That's what friends are for and Cheryl was sure that was all that was.

Both of those ladies brought something to the table and she knows she shouldn't be cheating on Heather but Toni was so appealing and approachable, it almost felt right. Between the history and original spark, from Heather, and the companionship and sex, from Toni, it completed Cheryl emotionally. The only issue she has with this situation is that she knows it's morally wrong, it's disrespectful toward Heather, and she feels like she's taking advantage of Toni. Toni eased those tensions between the two of them and explained that she was not taking advantage of her and she was happy to be friends with benefits because it was so fun.

Those were the kinds of thoughts Cheryl was trying to let loose from. So, at ten o'clock, she was completely and utterly wasted. She felt good. She was dancing with one drink in her hand and her phone in the other. Veronica on one side, Josie on the other, she could see Reggie doing a keg-stand in the backyard and a red-cheeked Archie putting his hands up in victory as he sunk his ball into one of the red solo cups while Moose hung his head low in defeat. She could feel her problems melting away as more of the alcohol set in and she was beginning to remember less and less.

Two hours later and the party had died down quite a bit. Mid-terms were coming up quick so people went home pretty early but not without Reggie calling them nerds and losers on their way out.

"Hey, I think I'm gonna go too. My mom will _not_ be happy if I came home any later,” Josie said.

"Me too. You girls have rides?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah... Chuck is gonna drive me."

Veronica and Cheryl looked at the door to see Chuck Clayton waving at them.

"Alright, I'm gonna walk to Archie's house with him. Cheryl, do you have a ride?"

"Yeah, gonna call her."

"Text me when you get home safe."

Cheryl nodded and went outside for some cool air. She called the one person she knew she could always count on.

"Hey, can you pick me up?"

Ten minutes later and Cheryl was slouching in Sweet Pea's truck with Toni at the wheel.

"Where's your motorcycle?" Cheryl asked. Her voice was not as it usually was. She was drunk and it showed.

"Didn't want to break the fourth rule."

"What's the fourth rule?"

"You don't ride on my motorcycle."

"Oh!" Cheryl laughed and slapped her forehead, "silly me!"

Toni chuckled to herself.

"What are the other rules, Toni?"

"Rule number one: don't mention Heather. Rule number two: don't tell anyone. Number three: beck and call; number four: you don't ride my motorcycle and number five: don't fall in love."

Cheryl mumbled something but Toni couldn't hear it over the loud engine of Sweet Pea's car. She has to remind him to check that out.

"I _said_ I'm breaking one of the rules."

Toni's blood ran cold. She narrowed down which ones she could have broken and it just leaves numbers two and—

"I’m in love with you, Toni."

They were silent. Toni wasn't sure but it seemed like Cheryl had sobered up at that confession. She pulled up the hill to Thistlehouse and stopped by the door. She turned off the engine.

"You're drunk, Cheryl, you don't know what you're saying," Toni shook her head and got out of the car. She rounded to the other side to retrieve Cheryl. Opening the door and unbuckling her seatbelt, Toni helped the redhead on the jump and luckily landed her on her feet.

"No, I mean it," Cheryl looked into her eyes as they held each other. "I love you, Toni."

Toni didn't know what to do. She couldn't say it back because that would be breaking the rules, right? Cheryl is just drunk. She's just thinking out loud and besides, she doesn't actually love Toni, she's just thankful for her picking her up. That must be it. That must be.

"Let's get you inside."

Toni hooked her around her waist and guided her through Thistlehouse. She led her up the stairs, a challenging uphill battle but with slight coercion they made it up, and Toni set her on the bed. She went to the bathroom to grab a makeup wipe and began dragging it gently on Cheryl's face.

"You're so good to me, TT."

She laughed nervously, "That's what friends are for."

"But we're more than friends."

"We're friends that have sex sometimes so, yes, you are correct."

"Heather and I aren't like that."

"Close your eyes," Toni directed as she took the wipe and cleaned off her eyelids, "what are you and Heather like? I never met her."

"She's nice and hardworking. She was my first love and I want to find that again."

Toni nodded. It made sense why they haven't broken up yet.

"But she's a liar and doesn't put enough effort in. Not like you."

Toni ignored that last bit. "Why do you think she stopped putting effort in?"

"I don't know. Ever since she started at Stonewall, we've been distant. Maybe because she got new friends and a new life and I just don't fit into it."

"Well, I think if she's your girlfriend then she should put more effort into making you fit into her life."

Toni placed the wipe on the desk to hear Cheryl's response. When one didn't come, she stood to go downstairs.

"Toni, don't leave me."

"I'm just getting you some water and pills for when you wake up. I'll be back in a second."

Toni went down the stairs and to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. She knew Cheryl had pills in her bathroom but she needed a minute to recuperate. If Cheryl loved her, it'll ruin what they have. Toni is terrified of commitment and claiming they were friends who had sex sometimes was easy and simple; it held no commitment, but saying you're in love? Confessing that you love that person, would do anything for them, go to extreme lengths to make the other person happy no matter how it made you feel? It was terrifying. Toni thought a relationship would be great with Cheryl but there were so many complications like what would they do with Heather? Would Cheryl start cheating again? What if Toni fell too hard too fast? What if they got into a fight, what would happen then? What if they both fell out of love and Toni was hurt? That scared her. Losing someone that meant so much to you at one point and becoming strangers over time was terrifying.

Toni shook her head and grabbed the pills and water from the fridge.

"I missed you," Cheryl said dreamily.

"Yeah, I missed you too," she played along. She sat on the bed and placed the items on the table. "How are you feeling?"

"So good. Sleepy."

"Then go to sleep, Red. I'll leave you to it," Toni stood.

Cheryl grabbed her wrist. "Don't leave me, Toni."

The shorter girl looked down at their hands. They looked good together but it wasn't up to her. This was all on Cheryl.

She smiled at their hands and sighed. They really looked good together. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Cheryl's temple.

"Go to bed."

Cheryl was asleep and Toni had left.

*

"Hey, are you avoiding me?"

"Uh, no, but I gotta—" Toni tried to move past her but Cheryl grabbed her arm.

"Let me guess, you have somewhere to be right now."

"Yeah, I'm, uh... um..."

"Toni, you know as well as I do that I am sick of being lied to," Cheryl crossed her arms, "so out with it."

Toni shifted on her weight. There was nowhere to run or hide in the locker room and no one to detract the conversation because all of the other Vixens had already left. Toni only went in there to get her gym clothes to wash and she waited until after cheerleading practice to avoid the redhead but it seems she had waited for her.

"How did you know if I was even going to come here?" Toni asked.

"I saw you peek in during practice." Cheryl took a step forward and pleaded, "Please, TT? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I just–" Toni groaned and sat down on the bench, followed by Cheryl. "I don't think we should do this anymore."

"Do what?"

"You know, _us,_ what we do behind Heather's back."

Cheryl's eyebrows knit, "Wha... why? Did I do something? Is it not... _enjoyable..._ anymore?"

"God, Cheryl, no! Best I've ever had. We have so much fun together."

"Then what is it? Did you... did you find someone?"

"No, I," Toni sighed and held Cheryl's hands. "I just think we're better off as being friends. No more sex or fooling around or whatever."

"I would love to be friends with you. I just need to know why you want to stop."

" _Because_ Cheryl," she didn't know how to say it. She doubts Cheryl remembers what she said. "One of us broke the rules."

Her face went blank. "Which one? Neither of us mentioned Heather unless it was necessary, I didn't tell anyone unless you did, you're avoiding me so maybe that's number three, I didn't go on your motorcycle, I'm not–"

And then it hit her. Rule number five.

" _–oh._ "

Toni nodded, wondering if Cheryl remembered or she thought Toni had feelings.

"So you're..." Cheryl breathed, " _okay._ "

"It happened when I picked you up from Reggie's party."

"You picked me up?"

"You don't remember?"

Cheryl shook her head, "Just flashes of that night. I was really drunk. I remember you being there but I didn't know why. I remember laying in bed and someone had put water and pills on my nightstand. I guess I just assumed that drunk me was thinking about the hangover after or that Veronica had placed them there. Did you wipe my makeup off?"

Toni nodded. "You always said you'll break out if you went to bed with last night's makeup on."

Cheryl stood off the bench and paced around slowly. "What happened that night? Did you–"

"You called me so I picked you up. I borrowed Sweet Pea's truck and you were asking me all these questions about the rules and then you let it slip that you..." Toni didn't want to say it directly.

"That I what?"

Toni sighed. "You told me you loved me. I told you that you didn't know what you were saying because you were drunk but you insisted that you meant it and you kept saying it. I just assumed that you were talking nonsense but the more that I thought about it, the more it made sense."

"That I'm in love with you?"

Toni couldn't describe her reaction. She wasn't angry, just confused maybe? "Well, I mean, look at what's happening, Cheryl. All the times you left Heather angry to come find me, the times you've surprised me with Pop's or movie nights, the compliments, the amount of times you want to kiss me, the times you should be calling Heather to pick you up from parties but instead you call me, drunk you telling me you love me? I'm not saying you love me but I'm saying that there's feelings there."

"We're just fucking!" Cheryl raised her voice slightly. She still didn't look mad at Toni, she looked like she was panicking. "I do all of those things because we're friends too."

"Please, sit, Cheryl."

She sat down beside Toni.

"I just think that it's best to stop what we're doing until you figure out what you need. Maybe think about everything that has happened and try to figure it out that way."

"What do you mean by everything that's happened?"

"Sometimes, friends with benefits don't kiss each other but with you, that's something that seems bigger than sex sometimes. It's almost like we're dating."

Cheryl sat silently and just nodded.

"Maybe you should call Heather? Try to–"

"I can't tell her about this."

"I was going to say that you should try hanging out with her more. See if she can give you everything you want in a relationship."

"I guess." Cheryl looked up at Toni with hopeful eyes, "can we still be friends? Hang out and talk like we used to?"

"Of course, Cher. I don't want to lose you. I just think it's best to rely on your girlfriend a little more than me."

"No, you're right. Maybe she stopped putting effort in because she hasn't been feeling wanted or a part of my life or something."

"Yeah."

Cheryl held her hand out, "Friends?"

Toni smiled and shook it, "Friends."

"Good," they're hands were still shaking. "I'm sorry for everything too. Maybe I could make it up to you..." her voice lowered as her gaze went to her lips. When she noticed what she was doing, she dropped her hand and looked back up to her eyes, "with a movie! Or lunch at Pop's."

"Sounds good to me. How 'bout tomorrow for a movie? I'll bring popcorn."

"Definitely," Cheryl stood, as did Toni, "I'm going to Stonewall. Hopefully, I can rekindle whatever Heather and I had between us."

"Good luck with that, Red," Toni moved past her, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow."

The locker room door closed and Cheryl sat back down. She ran her fingers through her hair and took a breath.

"Fuck," she spoke to herself quietly, "I can't believe I said that."

She brought her phone up and dialed Heather.

"Hey, Cheryl, what's up?"

"Can I come to Stonewall to talk?"

There was shuffling on the other side, "How important is it?"

Cheryl rolled her eyes, "Very. Nothing to worry about, just want to figure some things out."

"Sure, babe. Text me when you're here."

*

"I don't know why you're being like this. Everything between us is fine."

"It's not, Heather. It hasn't been for months."

"Then why are you bringing this up now?"

Cheryl uncrossed her ankles that were dangling from Heather's bed. The blonde was sitting at her desk like always.

"Because, I kept trying to believe that we were okay but we aren't. I see you maybe once every two weeks. Sometimes I text and I get no response, you never came to any of my football games, you don't hang out with me and my friends, you don't come to parties with me anymore. I miss my girlfriend."

"Well, I've been busy, Cheryl. I have packets for math, papers due for english, lab reports for chemistry, research I need to do for history, projects in all of the classes, I just–" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm not lying to you about homework anymore. It's a serious issue trying to keep up and I'm struggling."

"We haven't even said I love you since the summer!"

Heather took a deep breath. "It's not like you've said it either."

"How can I love someone that puts no effort into their relationship with me? I loved you once and I want that back. I want us back."

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Cher. I want us back too, I do, but I barely leave this room. Why don't you come here more often?"

"Because you either don't answer or you're too busy. You know I wouldn't care if I had to wait for you to finish work and take a break so we can get something to eat or just talk for thirty minutes. I don't care if I have to read off flashcards so you can ace a test! I want to be here with you. I'm sick of your lack of effort."

"Then why don't you just break up with me?"

Cheryl jerked her head back. That one surprised her for sure.

"If you're so sick of it then why not just break it off?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it makes no sense for us to be together anymore. All you do is complain about how I never have time for you and when I do have time, you bring up some excuse as to why you're mad at me. Like that time we were supposed to get lunch and you saw a picture on Donna's account that I was with them. You got mad at me for hanging out with my friends and left."

"Because you lied!"

"Because I didn't want you to be mad that I had one free night for myself and I chose to spend it with them instead of you!"

Cheryl stood from the bed. They were silent for a few moments.

"Look, I am going to give this relationship everything that I have until the end of spring break. You have one month to fix this because I have been putting in a hundred percent into this since the start. I hope you can do the same."

The door opened and Donna walked in, "Oh, hey, Cheryl."

The girls looked at Donna and then back to each other. The dark-haired girl could sense the tension in the room. "Did you guys want me to go?"

"No, I was just leaving," Cheryl grabbed her purse off the bed and walked toward the center of the room. "Remember what I said, Heather."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy 4.20 ;).
> 
> also!!! I made a groupchat on Tumblr so I can connect with everyone. Since we're stuck in quarantine, it might be nice to have a place where we can all talk and everything. I'll post updates in there and answer any questions you have and just get to know you guys more! If you want to join the name of the groupchat is "sensationxbitch's fic updates" and if you can't find it just search me up on Tumblr cause I just posted about it. My username is sensationalxbitch
> 
> please join!!


	4. "For the record, I know you're lying!"

"...And then I left."

Toni sat back on the couch and puffed up her cheeks. "Wow."

"I know. So, I guess I'm going to wait until the end of break."

"I think you gave her enough time. A month can fix a lot, hell, even a week could do that."

"It's just such bullshit! I mean, why the fuck do I even have to tell her all of this? How does she not realize?"

"I don't know," Toni popped another piece of popcorn into her mouth, the movie long forgotten. "You'd think you'd realize if you haven't seen your girlfriend in such a long time that there'd be a problem."

"I'm not crazy right?"

Toni swallowed and looked at her, "No, you're not. You don't deserve to deal with all that. I am proud of you though."

"I'm just so frustrated!" She groaned.

The girls looked at each other. Cheryl usually pounces on Toni whenever she's mad or frustrated but they ended things between them yesterday.

Toni felt like she was leaning in and she noticed Cheryl was too, so she immediately stopped herself and stood. "I'm gonna grab a drink, you want anything?"

"Yep- no, I'm good."

Toni practically ran to the kitchen. As soon as she got into the room, she moved slowly to avoid the tension with Cheryl. They both wanted each other and it was weird not having sex when they were at Cheryl's house. They both adapted to their relationship over the past few months.

Toni opened the fridge and bent down to the bottom shelf to get a water bottle. When she stood, Cheryl was in the kitchen.

"Did you want me to get you a water, Cher?"

"I'll grab it."

Cheryl walked over to Toni and bent down. The redhead made sure her ass was almost against Toni's front. The pinkette was so in shock that she hadn't moved. She was entranced by Cheryl.

The redhead's little plan worked and her rear grazed against Toni's front. Cheryl stood and closed the fridge, leaning against it as she took a sip of water. There was an intentional droplet of water that ran down from Cheryl's lips. She wiped it away with her thumb, slow and sensually, all while making it abundantly clear she was urging Toni on.

"Um, so how are you liking the movie?"

"Haven't really been paying attention," Cheryl ran her hand down Toni's arm, "I've been a little distracted."

"Cheryl..." She warned.

"Let's cut the crap, Toni. I want you, you want me, let's go upstairs and do what we do best," Cheryl took steps toward her.

Toni backed toward the counter until the marble was against her back. "I don't think we should go upstairs."

"You're right. Let's do it right here."

"Cheryl, we talked about this," Toni's voice was shaky. She wanted her but she couldn't.

"I want you, Toni."

"I want you too, Cher, but it's not the best idea right now."

"Why not?"

"If you want to fix your relationship with Heather, then this won't help."

Cheryl took a breath. "Well," she ran a hand up her middle and through the valley of her breasts, "maybe I don't want Heather."

Toni swallowed. "I should go."

"Upstairs."

"No, to my trailer," Toni slid to her side and out of Cheryl's presence. "I got some homework to do and–"

"Your backpack is here."

"Yeah, well, I also have work later and Serpent stuff."

"You scheduled this originally at six which is precisely the time you would be at work or tending to any Serpent meetings but you said you were bored so you came over after school."

"Hello?" Toni put her phone to her ear immediately. "Yeah, yeah! I can be there right away," she took her phone away, "Serpents. Gotta go."

"For the record, I know you're lying!"

Toni went to the living room to get her bag. Cheryl followed her.

"Toni, please stay."

"I don't think it's best to hang out alone. Maybe we can hang out with Ronnie or–"

"Why?"

"So we can control ourselves, Cher. I broke it off between us until you figure out what is going on with Heather so you have a month."

"You're killing me, Toni," Cheryl shook her head.

Toni dropped her bag back onto the couch. "I'm killing you? Are you kidding me? I agreed to come into this situation with you because I didn't think it was going to last this long but, nope, you're still cheating on your girlfriend with me and now you confess that you love me?"

"Are we still on that? I told you already. I was drunk."

"I've seen you drunk plenty of times, Cheryl, and you've never said that to me before."

Cheryl opened her mouth then closed it. "I was thankful that you picked me up."

"I've picked you up so many times before and you've _never–_ "

"What do you want me to do, Toni! I said it and I don't even remember," except that she did, "and you can't hold it against me. I broke a rule, fine, whatever! It doesn't mean anything!"

"Do you?" Toni lowered her voice. "Do you love me, Cheryl?"

Truth be told, she's never thought about it. Toni is often on her mind all the time but Cheryl just assumed that it was a friendly thought, that she was excited to see her friend at the end of the day, but then again, she never thought about Veronica or Heather this much. When Cheryl is with Heather, she can't wait for it to be over so she can get back to Toni. The real reason she calls Toni to pick her up drunk was that it was excuse to see her that day, to have her guide her to her bedroom, be taken care of so sweetly, and go to sleep with a lingering kiss on her temple. After Reggie's party, Cheryl had let it slip. She was drunk and had no filter but she remembers saying it, the rest of the night was a blur. She didn't love Heather, not anymore and she doubts she will ever again, but every single feeling that Toni emitted from Cheryl was golden.

"I... I..."

"'Cause I love you and I'm sick of hearing about Heather and comforting you after all of the fights you've had with her because she doesn't deserve you. The beck and call rule we had? I've had plenty of situations that needed my attention, Serpent meetings, hang outs with friends, but whenever you texted me, I dropped everything just to see you. All of the times I've cleaned up the mess that Heather made... the times I've _lied_ for you. This isn't just sex anymore, Cheryl. I broke the rule. I broke it."

Toni was tearing up, as was Cheryl. She was speechless at Toni's confession. The redhead just wanted to dry those tears and kiss her lips. There was nothing else on her mind in that moment.

"The real reason I stopped what was going on was because it isn't that I don't want to sleep with you, it's that it is just so fucking painful to sleep with you and still not be able to call you mine in the morning. I agreed to get myself into this but I didn't know this would happen! And I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to lose you!"

Toni picked her bag up again and put her arms through the straps. She walked toward the door and toward Cheryl.

"So I'm going to give you the month. We can still hang out as long as there's other people present but we can't hang out alone. I hope you'll agree to my terms."

Toni shut the door and went to her bike.

After all of the fights with Heather, the misunderstandings, the complaints and her lack of effort, nothing has ever hurt Cheryl this much. Toni loved her and Cheryl hurt her.

*

Another week passed until Toni and Cheryl hung out again, this time with Veronica. They had a plan, Cheryl texted Veronica to hang out first and then Toni asked Veronica to hang out the same day. They had planned it so that Veronica could act as a buffer.

Toni arrived first at the Pembrooke, mostly due to the fact that Cheryl likes to be fashionably late by a few minutes or so, and helped Veronica set up a bowl of chips, some wine, fruit, cheese, crackers, and the fireplace. Toni thought it looked like a bit much because she's so used to crappy trailers with outdated TV's in the corner. She even compared it Cheryl's house but she supposes it was more casual with her. Toni was laughing about something Veronica said when Cheryl walked in.

She was wearing a shirt that Toni had said was her favorite on her. A plunging v-neck with straps that went over the shoulders, sleeveless, and, of course, red. The shirt tucked into her black skinny jeans that she wore to get Toni's attention because they were hers. She topped the look of with long flowing waves and black heels.

"Why, hello, ladies."

"Hey, Bombshell," Veronica said from the kitchen.

Toni was next to Veronica standing speechless. She thought Cheryl looked gorgeous.

"Toni," Cheryl mused as she walked toward them. She leaned her arms on the counter so her breasts would be pushed up and full. "So, what's the plan for tonight?"

"Wine night, possibly a movie later. Are either of you spending the night?"

"No," Toni answered quickly, still finding it hard to look anywhere else.

"Not tonight, V. I may have other plans afterward," she eyed Toni.

The Serpent gulped.

"With Heather? That's her name, right?"

"Yeah, that's her. Heather Parks," Cheryl said awkwardly.

"I've only met her once or twice but I haven't seen her. How are you guys?"

Cheryl smiled, "Now, now, Veronica, you know to save the talk until we're all settled."

Veronica lifted her glass to her as she poured the wine into it. "We'll talk about your love life too, my little Serpent," Veronica winked.

Toni laughed quietly as the host tapped her shoulder and moved to the couches. Cheryl had a look of anger and jealousy as she leaned in closer and pushed her breasts up even more.

"You're _my_ little Serpent," she whispered.

"Not anymore," Toni handed Cheryl a glass of wine, "And _plans?_ Not happening."

They both moved to the living room and took their places. All the girls were surrounded with fruit, cheeses, chips and crackers, with a bottle of red wine dangling between each of their fingertips.

"Veronica, you start. How's Archie?" Cheryl spoke cheerily.

"We're doing okay I think. He seems so wrapped up in his boxing gym that we go without texting a few times a week but I'm trying to give him space because of his father. I stop in at the gym some times."

"How does he feel about that?"

"This sounds so stupid but his face just lights up. It is such a good feeling."

"Not stupid at all," Toni spoke, "my ex-girlfriend always told me that I did that whenever she visited me at work."

It was a slight jab at Cheryl who often gets jealous from past-flames. Toni heard her exhale on her right.

"Are you seeing anybody right now, Toni?"

"No, not right now. Been living the single life."

"Why?" Veronica laughed, "You're a smoke-show."

Toni chuckled, "Just need some time to figure things out I guess. Lots of hookups though," she peered over at Cheryl who was staring her down. The redhead brought the wine to her lips smugly.

"That's awesome! I know I'm not single right now but, when I was, a hookup every now and then was great. What about you, Cheryl? I wanna hear about Heather."

Toni pivoted toward the redhead, "Yeah, me too."

Cheryl shot a look at Toni before turning back to Veronica. "We've been better. She's been lacking effort in our relationship since the summer. I guess it's because she's so busy with school but I caught her in a lie a few months ago."

"What was she lying about?"

"She told me she had a ton of homework but then I saw one of her friends at Stonewall post about then hanging out and it looked recent."

"So she had a free night, told you she was busy, then hung out with her friends when she hasn't seen you in... how long?"

"Sounds weird to me," Toni joined.

Cheryl shot her another look, "We haven't said I love you since the summer and it's really weighing on me now. I talked to her about it and gave her until the end of spring break to fix the relationship because I've been putting in a hundred percent effort since the start."

"That sounds like the best thing you could've done, smart too. I knew we called you Bombshell for a reason," Veronica smiled and sipped her wine. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head to the lady's room. Be back in a sec."

Cheryl and Toni looked at each other as Veronica left the room. The undeniable tension now revealing itself.

"Are you wearing that to impress me?" Toni asked.

"What, this? I just threw this on," she smiled into her glass, "Plus, you seemed pretty speechless when I walked in."

"Well, we both know why I would be."

"Tell me again," Cheryl put her glass down.

"Tell you what?"

Cheryl scooted closer to her and ran her fingers up her arm, "You know what."

Toni sighed and pushed Cheryl's hand off of her. "I don't know what you're trying to do, Cheryl, but–"

"Toni, tell me you love me. I'm not playing games with you. This is for my decision."

"I'm not doing this right now, Cher."

"Why not?"

Toni heard footsteps so she spoke quickly, "Why not? Because this isn't the time, Cheryl."

"Then when is the right time?"

"Shut up!" Toni warned Cheryl as Veronica approached closer.

"You shut up!"

"Cheryl!"

They both stopped their hushed whisperings and looked to Veronica with smiles.

"What's the heated convo about, ladies?" She sat down in her spot.

"Cheryl was talking more about Heather." Toni covered quickly.

The girls talked until late into the night. They covered many topics and stories and their feelings about graduation. It was an enjoyable night, Toni thought, no matter how many times she had to discreetly slap Cheryl's hand off her thigh. The girls were mid-laugh when Toni's phone went off.

She looked at the Lodge and Blossom and muttered her apology and excuse. Veronica looked excited to see who was calling Toni and Cheryl looked scared because she knows what could happen when a Serpent calls her.

"Hello?"

Cheryl and Veronica began their own conversation.

" _Woah, woah, woah,_ slow down. They're _what?_ "

Cheryl could only someone yelling over the phone.

"Alright, chill out. I'll be there soon."

Toni stood and walked hurriedly to her bag in the kitchen. "I gotta go, guys, I'm sorry."

"Is everything okay?" Veronica asked.

"I, uh, don't think so. It's Serpent stuff. I gotta go," Toni hurried to the door and slipped into her shoes. "Veronica, thank you for this. We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah, definitely."

"Toni, wait!" Cheryl called.

The Serpent opened the door and turned to her.

She had more to say but it was tricky in front of Veronica. "Just... be careful, Toni."

She nodded and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay - side note. i know in the first chapter there was mentions of Toni having a car and then later in the chapter about her motorcycle so I wanted to clear it up because someone commented and i realized my stupid mistake lol (thank you to whoever commented). This story was originally supposed to be a one-shot and then i thought i should do a couple chapters but as of right now, I am writing the sixth chapter. So here is the explanation:
> 
> Toni owned a car and a motorcycle in the beginning (chapter one) and took her car to football games because it was cold and she wanted to sit in it to warm up.
> 
> She owns a motorcycle - her primary vehicle.
> 
> The Ghoulies stole her car and probably trashed it (Will mention this next chapter) but she still has her motorcycle
> 
> Considering it isn't a huge plot point, it is only going to be a slight nod about the car. sorry for any confusion!


	5. Bring Us Together Like Stitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: stab wounds, blood

Toni was fighting tooth and nail. She was punching Ghoulies left and right all beside her greatest friends, Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead.

She was exhausted but she fought on because the Ghoulies were attacking their Serpent den. When Sweet Pea called her, they were barricading the doors. Since then, it has gotten way out of hand. Toni could tell she had bruises lining her body, a twisted ankle, and blood oozing from her nose. The Ghoulies played dirty, mostly wearing rings when they fought, but as a young man swung his arm toward Toni, she saw the knife in his hand. Then she felt the pain in her shoulder, a burning pain, with blood damping her clothes. The boy who stabbed her couldn't have been more than twenty-five. He looked terrified when he realized what he had done and scurried out the door. The fight went on while Toni went behind the bar and slid down, holding the knife's handle. She was hesitating if she should pull it out or not.

The Ghoulies began to retreat and if they weren't then they were most likely knocked out on the ground. Fangs jumped over the bar and sat next to Toni.

"Oh, hey, Topaz. You alright?"

She groaned in pain and held her shoulder.

"Oh, shit! Shit, Toni!"

"I'm fine," she lied, "where's Pea?"

"Across the room with Jug. They're kicking the remainder of them out. Are you sure you're okay? Did you want me to–"

"No, no, I will do it. I just need a second," Toni looked at Fangs and the cuts on his face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, maybe I should get someone for you."

"Just give me a second. Go help them, I'm gonna pull this out."

"Alright," Fangs ran toward the other Serpents.

Toni called Cheryl.

"Hello?"

"Cheryl, I need you, please. You know how I left Veronica's early?"

"Yes, of course. What is it?"

Toni grunted, "There's a knife in my shoulder and I-I don't know what to do."

Cheryl breathed, "Don't do anything yet. I'll be right there. Where are you?"

"The Wyrm."

"Hang tight, I'll be there soon."

"Please hurry, Cheryl."

"Just take small breaths, Veronica. I know it hurts but just try to stay calm," Cheryl hung up.

"What was that about?" Heather asked.

"Veronica thinks Archie is cheating on her. This isn't the first time she thought that so I doubt it's anything serious but she's freaking out."

"Oh, alright."

Cheryl kissed her, "Sorry I couldn't stay long. I'll make it up to you."

"You better," Heather smiled as she watched Cheryl pick up her items.

The redhead walked out calmly but as soon as she was out of the dorm, she was sprinting down the hallway to the parking lot.

*

Toni gripped her shoulder as Cheryl sped through the roads of Riverdale. Toni had refused the idea of calling an ambulance because those cost thousands of dollars and she had faith in Cheryl that she would be able to fix her.

"I'm sorry, Cher," she winced.

"I don't care about the blood in my car, Toni. Just hang in there, okay? Don't pass out."

Passing out sounded really good to Toni right now.

"We're almost there. _Almost there..._ "

It took a few more minutes of Cheryl's speeding and Toni's grunts until they were parking hazardously in front of Thistlehouse. Cheryl yanked the keys from the ignition and sprinted to Toni's passenger side to help her out of the vehicle.

"You're okay, Toni. We'll fix you up."

It sounded more like Cheryl had been speaking to herself than Toni at this point. She got the door open and escorted Toni into the living room onto the couch. She sat Toni down carefully.

"I'll go grab my med-kit."

After a few incidents from Serpent fights in the past, like when they jumped her and stole her car, Cheryl had purchased a professional first-aid kit for when Toni needed assistance. She's been Toni's medic for the four months they've been sneaking around and every incident had Cheryl more scared than the last. She washed her hands.

The redhead hurried back to her lover on the couch. "Alright, how do you want me to do this? You want me to just take it out?"

"Do whatever."

"Well, I'm not an actual doctor, Toni!" She looked at the knife and the blood-soaked towel that Toni was holding against the wound. "I'm just going to take it out, okay? Since there's still blood coming out, I don't think it is holding any vessels together so they must have been slashed through, does that make sense? That makes sense right?"

"Cheryl, please."

The redhead looked at Toni's face again before reaching for the knife's handle and pulling it upwards and out of Toni's shoulder. Toni grunted and took deep breaths. Cheryl put the knife beside her.

"Holy... _holy fuck!_ " Toni gritted her teeth.

Cheryl took a bit of gauze, wrapping it around her hand and tearing it, "Bite on this."

Toni did as she was told.

"Are you okay?"

Toni nodded.

"Okay, I don't think you're bleeding more than before so I think we're okay. I'm going to feel around behind your back if there was an exit wound. Can you lean on your side a little?"

Toni nodded and moved through the pain. She bit down onto the gauze a little as Cheryl felt around her shoulder for more blood or any kind of rip in the leather. There was nothing, possibly a good sign. Cheryl wasn't an expert.

"Okay, you can lean back. I hope you don't like this shirt," Cheryl muttered as she picked up the scissors and cut Toni's shirt open. She left her Serpent jacket on because she didn't want Toni to take it off and go through even more pain, possibly bleed more, and it wasn't really in the way. She cut Toni's bra strap and flung it away. She applied more pressure to the wound as the towel soaked up even more blood. "Hold that there."

Cheryl picked up the isopropyl alcohol and poured some in her hands first to make sure she was clean before touching her shoulder.

"This is going to sting." The redhead poured the alcohol onto her wound and applied pressure with it onto a clean rag. Toni screamed and bit down on the gauze. "I know, baby, I know. I'm sorry."

Cheryl took out numbing cream and applied it to the wound once it was clean. She poured the alcohol into a small cup and put a needle into it. Toni was going to need stitches.

Cheryl took the gauze out of her mouth, "How do you feel?"

"Been better," she breathed. "You got those pain killers?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

Cheryl reached down into the bag and pulled out a small bottle of pills. She gave Toni two of them and lifted her head slightly to feed the water into her mouth.

"Thank you."

"Of course, Toni." She began to examine the rest of her face. She had bruises lined on her cheek and dried blood coming out of her nose.

"Cher?" Toni asked quietly and she hummed. "When I called you, you called me Veronica. Were you somewhere you needed to be?"

"There's no other place I'd rather be right now."

Toni was silent for a moment. "You were with Heather."

"Doesn't matter, Toni. This is more important."

The Serpent was quiet again. Cheryl was with Heather, Toni called crying for help, Cheryl lied and left to come to her aid.

"You're really good at taking care of me."

Cheryl sighed and leaned back on her hands, "Tell me something I don't know."

Toni smiled. "Are you giving me stitches?"

"Once the numbing cream and pain killers kick in. Should be another few minutes but I don't want to put you in more pain than before. Hopefully with the cream and pills, you won't be able to feel a thing."

"That'll be nice," Toni chuckled softly.

"And then we'll get you bandaged up and a shower to get the rest of the blood off of you. You can borrow some of my clothes for the rest of the night and—"

"I... wasn't going to stay, Cheryl. I thought it'd be best if I left as soon as possible. You know... for the both of us."

"Oh," she put her head down, "I see."

Toni wanted to grab her hand but she was afraid her wound might start bleeding again from irritation. "Come here."

Cheryl scooted closer to the couch.

"I want you to tell me everything that's on your mind."

Cheryl licked her lips and reached down to get her needle. She needed to do stitches on Toni while the pain killers and numbing cream were active.

"I've said it so many times," she focused on the wound.

"You've summarized it but I want to know everything."

"Do you feel this?" Cheryl asked when she punctured her skin with the sewing needle. Toni shook her head and she continued. "I fell in love with Heather when I was seventeen. I told you the story of how we met, she was my first girlfriend. She helped me get through my mom's homophobia and I fell in love with her because of it. She made me feel free and that I could be whoever I wanted."

Toni winced quietly. She could slightly feel the needle poking through but she didn't want it to a be a big deal.

"We got through the rest of our junior year and had the most amazing summer. We went to parties and lazy days in the pool after my mother ran off with Hal Cooper. She started focusing on college applications and obsessed over her future. I helped her along but the more she obsessed, the more time she wanted alone. I still loved her because if she could get through me being closeted, I can get through some time away from her. Then she got the offer from Stonewall where she'd start her senior year and be given college credits and letters of recommendation, scholarships, grants, tons of opportunities."

"How'd you feel about that?"

"At the time, I was excited for her. We were both a little upset that we wouldn't graduate at the same school but I thought it would be good for us because of college and how we wouldn't see each other everyday. I'm going to New York, she'd be in Connecticut. She told me that she would visit one month and I'd visit the other and no matter how much time I spent away from her, I still loved her."

"So summer's over, you're starting senior year. We started talking in November so what went wrong in those months?"

Cheryl tied the second stitch and moved onto the third. She was going to need six or seven. "I helped her move into Stonewall and I met her roommate and Jughead introduced us to a few of his friends and we all got along great so I thought everything would be fine. First week and she was already drowning in homework so she didn't go to the football game. I was upset about it but I was more upset that she was so stressed about her work. It kept happening and we got into a few fights and I guess my love for her wasn't as great as I thought it was. It was like she didn't exist anymore. She barely answered my texts or calls, she always told me she couldn't come to my games, she never let me come to Stonewall because she didn't have time to talk, it was like we weren't dating anymore."

Toni nodded and watched her tie the stitches. She was doing a pretty good job considering she isn't a professional. Toni remembers the first time she had called Cheryl after a bad fight with the Ghoulies. Cheryl was more than accommodating and helped her clean up. Toni woke up in the middle of the night in an empty bed so she went to find Cheryl and where did she find her? At the dining room table teaching herself how to make stitches from a Youtube tutorial.

"I tried so hard to get back what we had. I bought her favorite foods and surprised her at school but she just yelled at me and told me to go. I figured it was just stress but I don't even know if that's true."

Toni cleared her throat. "This might be a shot in the dark but have you ever thought _she_ might be cheating on _you?_ "

Cheryl slowed down her movements. "It would make sense... Jughead is always out with Betty and he doesn't have as much homework, clearly, unless he's falling behind."

"You know Betty wouldn't let him do that."

"I don't even know-"

"Who? Is there anyone you see all the time that goes to Stonewall?"

"I mean Donna but she's straight I'm pretty sure and then there's... _oh, fuck._ "

"What?"

"There's Bret,” she said quietly, “but she’s a lesbian.”

"How are you so sure it’s him?"

"I run into him every time I'm at Stonewall. He always asks if I'm still gay, as if that'll change– _holy shit._ What if he’s screwing my girlfriend?"

"Well, I mean..." they locked eyes, "alright, I won't say it."

"Thank you."

"But continue with your story. We'll talk about Bret later."

"Right, sorry," she shook her head, "um, well, we got into a fight and then I just stopped putting in effort because I wasn't getting anything back. I didn't break up with her because I thought that at some point she would realize what she was doing or she'd finish her homework or... I don't know, just _something_ would happen. So I waited and nothing happened and then..."

"And then...?"

Cheryl exhaled as she tied her last stitch. She busied herself with medical supplies; picking out gauze, more disinfectant, and bandages. "You're going to have to sit up a little."

Toni did as she said, "Then what, Cheryl?"

She exhaled again slowly, "And then I met you. I watched you at the games; taking photos and making people laugh in the audience. You've flirted with me a couple times and other girls on the squad but I never thought anything of it. All the girls loved you and craved your attention."

Toni chuckled, "Seriously?"

"Oh my god, they wouldn't shut up about you. If Veronica wasn't dating Archie, she probably would have gone for you."

"But she's straight."

"I know! They're all obsessed with you."

"I knew I was good but I didn't think I was that good."

"Now," Cheryl smiled, "how about a nice hot shower?"

*

Toni stepped out of the shower. Her skin was glistening with the hot water still on her cheeks and her bruises could be seen clearly now without all of the dried blood on them. She didn't know who's blood it was but she knows it was scary to see all of it seep down the drain; there was a lot more on her than she thought. She would have to get her Serpent jacket dry-cleaned at some place on the Southside and put her clothes through the wash. Fortunately, Cheryl had given her clothes for the night and a place to stay. Toni had originally declined her offer but she truly didn't want Cheryl to drive her to the Southside again.

Toni emerged from the bathroom to hear Cheryl on the phone.

"Yeah, she's fine now. I told her that Archie was spending time away from her because he needs some distance after his dad."

The Serpent watched from the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'll text you in the morning. Night."

"Was that Heather?"

Cheryl nodded. "I told her that Veronica was upset so I could slip away."

Toni nodded and sat next to Cheryl on the bed. She still needed her to finish her story from before but the redhead knew that.

"Where were we?"

"You met me."

"Right," Cheryl sat comfortably on her bed and Toni stretched her legs out in front of her. "I started having this... _fascination_ with you. I wanted to get to know you better and maybe be your friend but that night at the game when I sat in your car," Cheryl paused and smiled, "I didn't just want to be your friend anymore. You gave me this feeling like I had with Heather when I first met her. You were so direct and, dare I say, _charming_ that I just wanted you, I guess. You were filling a void in my life the first few weeks but then it became more than that."

"Because we were friends that had sex sometimes?"

" _Because, Toni,_ it felt like we were dating. I always wanted to be with you and I missed you when I wasn't. It felt like a chore when I was with Heather and I got into a fight with her all the time because I was aggravated that I wasn't with you."

Toni swallowed. That was a lot of information to take in. "Then why haven't you broken up with her yet?"

Cheryl licked her lips and looked away from Toni. "We've been dating for a year and a half. She was my first real girlfriend, she helped me through so much, she was my first love. It's hard to just throw something like that away."

"But you cheated on her. You threw it away when you got in my car."

Cheryl sighed. "I know. I made a mistake," her eyes teared up as she looked back at Toni, "But I don't regret it because I fell in love with you."

Toni held her hands, looked into her eyes and whispered, "Then break up with her."

"I'm going to be a mess after. Are you okay with that?"

"Cheryl, you could cry over the most ridiculous things and I will always be there for you. I've been there for you for the past four months, I'm sure I can last a couple more weeks."

The redhead smiled softly. "Thank you, Toni. I'll give her a call."

"Are you gonna do it in person?"

"It's a year and a half relationship, I feel like I'd be making it worse if I did it over the phone." Cheryl put it up to her ear and waited for the answer.

"Hey, Heather, I know I said I was going to sleep before but do you think we could get together soon?"

"Yeah, sure!" There was shuffling in the background, probably looking for her school planner to make sure she was free. "How about Friday?"

"Sounds good. Night."

"Night, babe."

Cheryl hung up. "Friday's the day."

"You ready for it?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just saying, i'm not a medical professional, that is just how I would take care of the stab wound if i was in this situation. i looked up real stories on how to fix it and didn't find anything helpful but someone said that he had been stabbed twice and pulled the knife out both times and the doctor's said that that was what saved his life. don't come at me with med facts!!
> 
> join my tumblr groupchat! it's called "sensationalxbitch's fic updates"


	6. Psycho Girlfriend

Toni was rushing through the halls but it was hard with the pain in her shoulder. Cheryl offered to buy her an arm sling to put less strain on the wound but Toni refused because she didn’t want to show weakness, especially if a Ghoulie had seen her somewhere.

She wanted to get to Cheryl's house to help her relax before going to see Heather tonight. She knew that she would be freaking out.

Her phone began ringing.

"Hello?"

"Toni!" Jughead called her.

"Hey, what's up, Jones?"

"Did you wanna hang out tonight? I'm thinking a chill night? I'll even pick you up."

"Why don't I just walk over to your trailer?"

"Nah, I'm at Stonewall this weekend to finish my homework so I can have my break free."

Toni was in a rush to leave the school so she wasn't completely paying attention to whatever he was saying. "Yeah, sure. What time?"

"I'll pick you up at seven. You gonna be at your trailer?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, text you when I'm on my way."

She hung up and went on her bike. Then she realized. If Jughead is going to be at Stonewall tonight, Heather is going to be there and so will Cheryl.

"Shit," she breathed and started the engine.

*

"You okay now?" Toni asked when Cheryl stopped crying.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this, I just needed to get that out."

"I don't have to deal with anything. I want this, Cheryl. I want to get you through this."

Cheryl leaned off of Toni and looked at her. "You are the best mistake I've ever made," she joked.

Toni opened her mouth in mock defense, "Ouch!"

"Stop," Cheryl laughed and kissed her. "But, I should get going to get it over with."

"Actually... I have to tell you something before you leave."

Cheryl stood and put her shoes on. She looked up at her.

"I'm actually going to be there tonight. Jughead called me and asked me to hang out and I was in a rush to come over to help you out and I wasn't paying attention to what he said and—"

Cheryl moved quickly over and shut her up with her lips. Toni had a dumb smile on her face when she pulled back. "That's okay. Chances are that I'll be gone by then."

Cheryl went back to her shoes.

"Are Jughead and Heather friends?"

"I think so, why?"

Toni wiped her sweaty hands on her thighs. "He said it was going to be a chill night with drinks. Is there any chance I'm meeting her tonight?"

Cheryl bit her lip. "She didn't mention anything to me." She picked up her phone and texted her.

**Cheryl:** _Hey, I'm leaving in a few. Just us tonight?_

**Heather:** _Bret wanted to do some drinks. Nothing crazy but everyone's coming over. That okay?_

**Cheryl:** _Yeah. Be there soon._

"Bret suggested a chill night with some drinks," she sighed.

**Heather:** _We'll be in Jughead's dorm. Two doors down from me, you'll see it._

"Jughead's dorm. I guess we'll be seeing each other tonight."

Toni bit her lip, "Guess so."

Cheryl sighed, "whatever. I'll see you soon then," she leaned over to peck her lips one last time. "Remember not to do that next time you see me."

"It's all I'm thinkin' about," Toni flirted which earned her a smile.

"'Kay," Cheryl grabbed her purse. "See you at seven," she smiled, "maybe."

*

Toni stepped into Stonewall for the second time. The first was when she had helped Jughead move in when he didn't know anyone at the school. She couldn't believe he was friends with Heather but Toni also couldn't believe the predicament she was in. She flirted with everyone, even Cheryl who was famously taken at the time, and now she was going to a room where she would be in close quarters with Cheryl _and_ Heather. It was weird seeing the other woman especially because she had no idea what to expect. Did she look like her or act like her?

She checked in at the office and went down the corridor where she saw the line of doors housing a bunch of rich nobodies and Jughead. It was expensive dark wood, Toni could tell, and the whole place reeked of money and privilege. It was nothing like her trailer.

She read the numbers on the doors, trying to find her friend's dorm, but saw a tall man step out of one of the doors adjusting his tie, presumably a student. As he walked out, a blonde girl had followed him from inside the room. She was fixing her hair. They were both silent as the boy walked toward Toni and to the bathrooms. He hadn't said a word to her.

When she approached the blonde girl in order to pass her, she looked her up and down, noticing the green snake insignia sewed to her leather jacket. She made an irritated face.

"What brings _you_ here, snake?"

Her tone was off-putting and judgmental.

"Going to Jughead's."

"Whatever."

Toni rolled her eyes and kept walking until she met the cracked open door.

"Toni!" Jughead called her in. All eyes were on her – a boy she didn't know, two girls she didn't know, Jughead, and Cheryl. She wondered if one of the girl's was Heather but neither of them sat next to Cheryl. There was still a chance it might be one of them. Toni supposes they hadn't talked things through yet.

"Hey, Jug," she stepped in fully and embraced him.

"Guys, this is Toni. Toni, this is," he pointed to each person as he introduced them, "Jonathan, Joan, and Donna."

They each waved to her and smiled. Friendly enough, not like that girl in the hallway.

"Hey, Cheryl," Toni greeted kindly.

"Hello."

"Let me grab you a beer. You can take a seat on my bed or in the chair, wherever," he went to the mini fridge and pulled out a clear bottle with yellow liquid inside.

"What, no limes?" Toni joked and took a seat, muttering a quiet thank you when he passed it over.

"So, where was I?" Jughead sat down and continued his story. Toni knew the one he was telling because she was there. The other Stonewall students seemed to be intrigued by Jughead's tale but Cheryl could not care less because Toni was in the same room with her and a ton of other people. She wondered where Heather was, if they had broken up already and Jughead asked her to come over. Also, where was that Bret guy?

The door opened again to the man Toni had seen in the hallway.

"Hey, Bret, this is Toni," Jughead smiled.

Toni waved quietly.

"Nice to meet you," he reached his hand out and Toni shook it.

"You too," she lied.

He went over and sat between Jonathan and Jughead. "So, Forsythe, what kind of tales are you spewing on about?"

"I was just telling them about the time I..."

Toni wasn't paying attention, instead, she was thinking about if that girl she had spoken to the hallway was Heather and if she really was cheating on Cheryl. It could have been, but it might not be. She's never even seen Heather, that is until she walked in.

The door swung open to a blonde around Cheryl's height, the blonde that she had seen in the hallway. Toni wondered who it was, if there was even a chance if it was Heather. Cheryl had expressed her concerns that Heather had been cheating on her with Bret and if she was true to herself when she came out as a lesbian all those years ago. Then again, Heather may have found that she had an attraction to women, and only women, when she was younger but her sexuality may not have changed necessarily, but the attraction to women may have trumped her attraction to men overall. Perhaps she had not done enough soul-searching to have come out as a lesbian when she did. Toni went through the same process when she was younger, before she came out, and found that she still had an attraction toward men even if her desire to date women seemed stronger. Toni didn’t totally cancel out dating a man because she fell in love with people’s hearts, their mannerisms and quirks, their secrets and those little things that made them _them_ , so she declared her bisexuality and that she was usually more drawn to women. It could be the same for Heather so the idea of her sleeping with Bret wasn’t totally out of the question.

The nameless blonde sat down next to Cheryl and eyed Toni.

“Oh, Toni,” Jughead put his story on pause once again to be a courteous host and introduce his friends to his fellow Southside Serpent. The friend in question did not look pleased to be there. Her arms were crossed and her facade was disinterested. “This is Heather, Cheryl’s girlfriend. Heather, this is Toni.”

“Heather…” Toni spoke and smiled lightly, “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Cheryl shot her a look.

Heather faked a laugh, “I’m sure you have,” she nudged Cheryl, “This one doesn’t seem to shut up about me.”

“You could say that,” Toni sat back and tilted the bottle into her mouth.

The group went back to following Jughead’s story but Toni could feel eyes on her, whether those eyes were from Cheryl or Heather she wasn’t sure, but one of them was looking at her. She suspected it was Heather, trying to size her up or insulting her silently, but it could also be Cheryl who would be trying to gage her reaction to Heather being in the same room.

She was pretty, Toni will give her that, but she was nothing like Cheryl. Cheryl was gorgeous and Toni could almost describe her as perfect, but that blonde bimbo on her arm was one of a few of her imperfections.

Jughead’s story finally ended with a few laughs from around the room. She nudged Jughead while the others began discussing something else. “Bathrooms are down the hall, right?”

“Yeah, left outta the room. Should be on your right.”

“Thanks, I’ll be back,” Toni stood and quietly made her way to the bathrooms.

After exiting the stall, she met with Heather who had been waiting for her to exit.

“Oh, hey,” Toni said awkwardly and went to the sink.

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh, Jughead invited me.”

She scoffed, “You have some nerve coming here with that jacket on. At least Jughead was born on the Northside, he just made a dumb mistake of joining because of his father.”

Toni was feeling threatened. “Can you just get to your point? I’m sure it’s irrelevant but you piqued my interest.”

Heather took a step forward. “Take your jacket off or leave. We don’t want Southside trash here. This is a nice school and you’ll only dirty it up with those blood-soaked boots you wear.”

Toni finished washing her hands and looked at the blonde through the mirror. “For your information, Heather, this jacket represents my family which I’m sure you know nothing about. The Southside trash, as you like to call it, loves me and I understand that you don’t really know what that’s like but it doesn’t mean you should attack me.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“When was the last time someone told you they loved you, huh?”

Heather’s eyes fell downcast.

“I know a lot more than you think I do,” Toni took a step forward, “so, next time, keep your mouth shut and don’t fuck with me.”

Heather rolled her eyes and left the bathroom.

**Toni:** _Get your psycho girlfriend off my ass._

**Cheryl:** _What happened????_

Toni went back to the room and took her seat back. Heather eyed her angrily.

"So how's everyone feeling about graduation?" Toni asked.

"Honestly, I'm pretty excited. This was a long four years," Jughead responded.

"You could say that again," Cheryl added.

The Stonewall kids just nodded quietly, clearly exhausted from the busiest four years of their life.

"I'm surprised some people are graduating," Heather mumbled into her beer bottle as she brought it up to her lips.

Toni shot her a look.

Donna spoke up, "I can't wait to finally get to Yale. I've been wanting to go their since middle school."

"That's how I feel about Columbia," Jonathan said.

"Where are you going again, Jug?"

"Also going to Yale. Betty got in too so at least I know a couple people there."

"What about you, Toni?" Heather asked. "Are you going to Riverdale Community College or trade school... or— I'm sorry, do you still have to get your GED?"

" _Heather,_ " Cheryl warned.

"Uh, am I missing something?" Jughead said and looked between them.

"Actually, Heather, not that I have to prove anything to you, but I have a 4.2 GPA, 15 scholarship offers, 3 full-ride opportunities, and a 1600 on the SATs. I heard you were off to UCONN, which has about a 50% acceptance rate and my school, NYU, has an acceptance rate of about 30%. Not that those numbers matter, but I heard you were rejected from NYU while I have a full-ride. Interesting theory though."

Heather shut up for a minute.

"Okay, I _am_ missing something," Jughead mused.

"Can we just stop fighting? This is supposed to be a chill night," Cheryl tried to end the fight.

"I can't relax when there's a Serpent sitting across from me."

Jughead scoffed, "Heather, I'm a Serpent and you're fine with me."

"You grew up on the Northside," she stood with her arms crossed and walked to the center of the room. "She's from the Southside. She was born on the Southside, she joined the Serpents, she'll always be Southside trash."

"Heather, what the fuck are you doing?" Cheryl stood.

"I'm sorry, did I or did I not see Bret coming out of your room earlier?"

The room fell silent. Bret looked down at his shoes and Cheryl's face dropped.

"Heather... is that true?"

She hesitated for a moment. "I— no! She's lying!"

"What reason would she have to lie?" Jughead asked.

"B-Because she's a Serpent!"

"Heather, stop," Cheryl said and walked in front of her. "I had my suspicions already. You were distant as soon as you came to this fucking school."

"Oh, stop playing the victim, Cheryl. I'm not the only one that's been distant in this relationship. You had your football games and your parties and—"

"All of which you refused to come to. I talked to you about how I felt in our relationship and all of that went over your head. You never did anything to prove that you would put slightly more effort into our relationship, you even asked me why I haven't broken up with you!" Cheryl shook her head, "I should've a while ago."

"I don't know why you didn't!"

"Because, Heather, I wanted to feel what I felt when we first started dating! You helped me come out to my mom, to the whole school! You made me feel normal, like I wasn't some deviant monster, but I guess we found out who the real monster was this whole time. You wasted my time."

" _Wasted your time?_ You'd still be a closeted bitch if it wasn't for me!"

"Oh, shut the fuck up," Toni said and took a step forward. "Do you realize what you've been doing? Everyone asks about you at school. They ask how you've been, what you're up to, why they never see you. They ask Cheryl and she never had any answers for them. Not only did you waste her time, but you went behind her back too."

Heather ignored her, "I used to love you, Cheryl, but we're so different. Especially when I came here, when I realized just how different we are."

"Then why didn't you fucking break up with me?"

"I don't know! I didn't find the time to!"

"Typical," Cheryl scoffed. "It doesn't matter anyway because–"

"Cher..." Toni warned.

"Because I fell in love with someone else."

The room was silent again.

"Oh, this is gettin' good," Jughead laughed.

"With who?" Heather asked angrily.

Cheryl figured that now wasn't a good time to bring Toni back into the situation and it wasn't any of Heather's business anyway. "Doesn't matter. If it wasn't clear before, we're done, Heather."

"Fine! I don't want to be with you anyway!"

Cheryl rolled her eyes and walked out.

Toni took a step forward then stopped herself. She wasn't sure if it would be too obvious to follow her but part of her didn't care because the secret was no longer a secret. Toni looked at Heather.

"What are you staring at, Southside trash?"

Toni just laughed and took a step forward. "I'm _Southside_ trash, you're _actual_ trash. The only difference is that I'm the one fucking your girlfriend," she shook her head, " _ex_ -girlfriend."

Toni walked out in search of Cheryl.

"I'm so happy I didn't miss this," Jughead laughed. "Oh, and you," he looked at Heather, "you can leave now."

She huffed and slammed the door on her way out.

Jughead looked to Bret, "you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy mothers' day to everyone's moms!


	7. Are You Happy Now!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little bit of fighting, a little bit of crying, a little bit of Heather being a bitch, some fluff and implied smut

“Are you happy now!?” Cheryl yelled at Toni.

“Baby-”

“ _Don’t_ call me that,” she pointed an accusing finger at Toni. They were standing on either side of Cheryl’s room and arguing about the occurred events. Cheryl had been humiliated at Stonewall because of Heather’s adultery and, although she wasn’t as faithful as she claimed to be, her secret relationship wasn’t put out into the open and exposed for its deceit. Cheryl was angry and upset for how everything happened, how she had no idea of Heather’s hate for the Southside, how she had bullied Toni, how she had slept with Bret two rooms away from where Cheryl was. It was humiliating and terrifying to know that someone she trusted the most in her life had turned her back on her and that she had been doing it for _months_. Neither of them were faithful to the relationship and that may have caused a rocky road, but Cheryl always put effort in like nothing had changed. Perhaps if Heather had listened to her during their arguments, she would have cut things off with Toni until it was too late and she had broken the fifth rule.

“Really, Cheryl?” She scoffed in disbelief, “Our friends-with-benefits debacle is over. We aren’t just friends anymore, you’re not cheating anymore, Heather isn’t even in the picture anymore!”

“Then why is she blowing up my phone asking me if I’ve been sleeping with you?”

Cheryl held her phone out with a straight arm to show Toni the three text messages on her phone. They were all from Heather and they weren’t nice messages either.

**Heather:** _You were sleeping with that dirty Serpent?!_

**Heather:** _She told me what you two have been doing behind my back after you left._

**Heather:** _I can’t believe you’re mad at me for fucking Bret when you’ve been doing the same exact thing to me. This is absolute bullshit._

“I…” Toni started as she read the final message. “She was pissing me off a-and it just slipped out.”

“ _It slipped out,_ ” Cheryl repeated.

“You were broken up anyway!”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that she knows I’ve also been cheating on her!”

“Why the fuck does that matter!?”

Cheryl breathed slowly, trying to keep her voice steady and level. She didn’t want to fight anymore, she was so sick of it. After months of arguing with Heather about her lack of effort, their public breakup, and humiliation, she has finally had it. She didn’t want to fight anymore, she wanted to start solving problems with reasonable conversation instead of spewing out excuses through a raised voice. “It matters because the first few months that we started sleeping together, I still loved her. I loved her until I couldn’t anymore. I know what I did wasn’t right and it never will be, but I believed that if we had gotten through our differences, that I could cut it off with you and just forget about it. I was missing her attention and… just _everything,_ so I used you to fill a void but then you started becoming a bigger part in my life. I know that I started cheating on her, but I didn’t stop loving her until a few months ago. She stopped loving me…” Cheryl licked her lips in thought and just shook her head. Honestly, she had no clue but she imagined that it was, “sometime in the summer.”

“All I’m saying is,” Toni leaned onto the bed and crawled onto the opposite side to soothe Cheryl. She knelt in front of her and held her hands, “it’s all over now. We can be together, if you want to. No more secrets, no more rules, just us.”

“But what is everyone going to say? The word’s out. You know Heather can’t keep her mouth shut for five seconds. Us being together is going to create a scandal, Toni, and I don’t want more attention on me.”

“Let them talk. So what if it’s the talk of the town? It’ll be old news by next week,” Toni pursed her lips once Cheryl looked down at their hands. “Do you love me, Cheryl?”

Cheryl smiled slightly and met her eyes. She nodded, “I do.”

“Then forget about everyone else. All that matters right now is me and you.”

Cheryl’s face grew serious as she held Toni’s cheek in her hand. The Serpent leaned into her touch and watched her face carefully. She no longer seemed mad, she didn’t even seem upset. She looked like she was thinking because her eyebrows were narrowed and her head was tilted.

“Why are you so good to me?”

Toni chuckled quietly and turned her head into Cheryl’s palm to kiss it gently. “Why do you think you deserve any less?”

Cheryl giggled and threw her arms around Toni’s neck. Toni grabbed her waist and threw her onto her bed to cuddle. She hovered over the redhead and pushed a few strands behind her ear. “Now, give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“So I can rip Heather’s head off.”

Cheryl laughed, “Not now, my love. We have some making up to do.”

Toni smiled and kissed her sweetly, “Do we?”

“Mhm,” Cheryl hummed and pulled Toni down by the nape of her neck.

*

Cheerleading practice was finally over after a dreadingly-long rehearsal. None of the girls could get their moves right and if they did, then they weren’t synched. Considering it was a new dance, Cheryl let it slide for two reasons. One, it was a completely new choreography, and two, Toni has been making her soft. She hasn’t told any of her friends of the events that took place before spring break because she thought that it might have been too soon, but if anyone asked her about her current relationship status, she wouldn’t hide it. There was no reason to hide anymore but she also didn’t need to share her business with anyone.

Toni went into the locker room to find Cheryl. They were supposed to go out to eat today, for the first time in months they were going out on an actual date. Toni had teased her the first time they had a real conversation in her car after the football game where they had established their rules. Toni suggested that they go out on one date, which Cheryl had declined multiple times and never made it into the official rules, but they were finally going on their date. It was a long time coming and Toni thought it was well worth the wait.

“Hey, Red Hot, ready to go?”

“Do you mind waiting a little bit? I wanted to take a shower really fast.”

“Take your time, Blossom. I’ll just wait here… _all alone…_ ” Toni pouted.

“I’ll be quick, you big baby.” Cheryl pecked her lips and went to the shower stalls with a towel and clothes in hand.

Toni sat there on her phone while she waited. She was there for about ten minutes and thought everyone else had already left until Veronica Lodge walked in.

“Hey, Toni!”

“Oh, hey, Ronnie. What’s up?”

“Forgot to take my gym clothes with me after practice. What are you doing here all alone?”

Toni chuckled and nodded toward the showers. “Waiting for Cheryl.”

“Oh… are you guys… going somewhere?”

“Yeah, Pop’s.”

Veronica laughed as she got into her locker. “I must say, I’m a little jealous. I always thought I’d be the one you’d take to Pop’s.”

Toni laughed. This was the dynamic that they had and they both had fun pretending they were actually interested in each other but, in reality, they’ve never developed feelings. “Oh, come on, you’ll always be my girl, you know that.”

Veronica laughed and stuffed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt into her bag. 

“Are we claiming girls now?” Cheryl asked from the showers. Her towel was tucked tightly around her breasts.

“You betcha. Got a problem with that, Bombshell?” Veronica teased.

“You could say that,” Cheryl walked over to Toni and placed a hand on her shoulder, wordlessly claiming her girl.

“I gotta run but we should all hang out soon, like we did a few weeks ago, that was fun.”

“Yeah, totally. Hit me up whenever,” Toni nodded as she felt the grip on her shoulder tighten slightly.

“Have a good time at Pop’s,” Veronica smiled and left the locker room. 

Once the door shut, Toni felt Cheryl’s hand make her way below her chin as her head was tilted up to look at the redhead.

“Don’t start claiming other girls, Toni, or you might lose your chance,” she teased.

“Thought my spot in your life was solid.”

“Yes, but my mind can change _very_ quickly.”

Toni twisted in her hold until she was now facing Cheryl straight. “Don’t I know a thing or two about that,” she laughed.

Cheryl smiled and leaned down to kiss her lips once more. “You’re mine, Topaz. Don’t you ever forget that.”

*

They arrived at Pop’s moments ago and were already slurping on their milkshakes. Toni had vanilla, Cheryl had strawberry, and they were laughing while they talked about a hypothetical roadtrip where they would adopt two dogs and explore the world. Toni suggested buying a van that looked like the mystery machine and Cheryl had picked out two names for the dogs - Gryphon and Hoodie. Toni was laughing at the names seeming as though they were referencing Jughead’s fictional, sardonic novel about the nightmares of Riverdale. They planned to do a heist in all of the fifty states, nothing illegal of course, but it was a dumb story Toni had thought of during her childhood where her and her future partner went on a roadtrip in all fifty states, going to open houses, and stealing the spring in the realtor’s pen as a souvenir for the state. It was dumb but definitely a funny memory that they could bring up at dinner parties.

“Why the spring?” Cheryl said through a fit of giggles.

“‘Cause then the realtor can’t use the pen and they also won’t know what’s wrong with it. We’d just be causing a minor inconvenience for the real estate agents across America,” Toni said proudly, “plus, we get to look at cool houses.”

“Where will the dogs be during the heist?”

“Keeping the car running, obviously. We need to get in there, pretend we’re about to sign for the house, one of us will distract the realtor, the other will take the spring out and then we’ll make up some story about how the house isn’t the right decision and we’ll get out of there.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Cheryl laughed. 

The bell rang at the front of Pop’s and a familiar blonde walked in with a few friends from Stonewall. Toni had met them the night of their breakup, she recalls their names being Donna and Joan. Cheryl’s back was to the door so Toni tried to hide her surprise but that didn’t last long when she saw Heather making her way toward them.

“What are you looking at?” Cheryl asked and turned around to see her ex-girlfriend make her way toward their table. “Fuck.”

“Isn’t this cute?” Heather placed her hands on the table and leaned forward. “My ex-girlfriend and the homewrecker out on a date at Pop’s.”

“What do you want, Heather?”

“Me? Nothing. Although, breaking up this little relationship of yours would be the highlight of my year.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Walk away while you still can.”

“Is that a threat, Serpent?”

“Depends how you take it.”

“I feel threatened,” she mocked and put a hand over her heart. “A Southside Serpent just threatened to break my legs in a public area where,” she raised her voice, “ _everyone_ can hear! I might have to call the police to have you detained!”

A few heads turned toward their table and Toni realized that the only person that looked bad in this situation was Heather. She was hovering over her table, a table she clearly wasn’t invited to, and Toni was sitting down peacefully. It would be different if the roles were reversed but they weren’t.

Pop came over seconds later with their food and set them in front of the girls. “Everything okay here, ladies?”

Toni gently smiled, “Actually, Pop, we have an unwelcome guest at the table and she’s harassing us. We’ve politely asked her to leave but she’s refusing. Can you remind her where her table is?”

Pop looked uncomfortable in the situation but he and Toni were good friends. They had established a friendship after the multitude of times Toni had purchased take-out meals over the course of the past five months. “Ms. Parks, I think it would be best for everyone if you joined your friends on the other side of the diner. I don’t want to cause a disturbance for the other guests and I’m sure you don’t want to be escorted out.”

Heather rolled her eyes and gave one last look to Toni before going back to Donna and Joan.

“Thank you, Pop. I appreciate it.”

“Anything for my regulars,” he winked at them and left.

“She’s not gonna stop,” Cheryl mumbled quietly, more to herself than Toni, but the pink-haired girl heard her anyway.

Toni grabbed her hand, “Don’t stress about it. She’ll get bored sooner or later and remember what I said last week?”

“ _Forget about everyone else. All that matters is me and you,_ ” Cheryl repeated Toni’s words from last Friday. “You’re right. I’ll let it go for now but if she persists-”

“I will take care of it. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: that story about the roadtrip was something I came up with. I'm currently talking to a guy and we thought of a pretend roadtrip where we adopt two dogs and travel across the US. and the story with the springs in the pen's at the open houses was a funny scenario I came up with when I was really little. Still wanna do it because it's one of those stories you bring up at parties and laugh about cause you're thinking - "what the fuck were we doing"
> 
> so yeah. i put my own thoughts into this lol
> 
> ALSO!!!!
> 
> this story will have 9 chapters.


	8. I've Always Been In Love With You

Cheryl was going to Stonewall today to retrieve a few items that Heather had in her dorm. She had given Heather one of her spider brooches, a hairbrush, a locket, and a Riverdale High sweatshirt. After a month of cooling down, the redhead thought it was a good time to finally get her possessions. Toni was working and knew of Cheryl’s whereabouts and even though she was worried, Cheryl had reassured her she would be fine. After their incident at Pop’s, Heather’s antics had died down and found that she never got any satisfaction from trying to break up she and Toni. Plus, she was slightly terrified of a Southside Serpent.

Cheryl had communicated to Heather when she would be arriving so they wouldn’t be in the same room at the same time, so, when she arrived, she gave Heather’s name to the lady at the desk and walked in without any fears of seeing her ex-girlfriend.

The redhead saw the items had been placed in a cardboard box and on the desk. She walked over to pick them up when she heard the door shut behind her.

It was Heather.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t be here.”

“I know what I said, but I wanted to see you before you left.”

“Dare I ask, why?”

Heather took a few steps toward Cheryl. She seemed hesitant and hopeful. “I don’t know any better way to say this so I’m just going to say it.”

Cheryl looked at her expectedly.

“Cher… baby-”

“ _Stop it._ ”

“I’m still in love with you.”

That was exactly what Cheryl was trying to avoid. She knew that Heather’s antics weren’t completely over and done with and that she would try something to get Cheryl to turn on Toni, but she never expected _this._

_“Wha-”_

“I’m so sorry for how everything happened, but I was hoping that… that, maybe, you’d want to take me back.”

Cheryl put the box down on the desk and scoffed, “ _Take you back?_ ”

“Everything I did was legit messed up and-and, I don’t know. I’m just so sorry that it took me this long to figure out that I still love you.”

“You’re joking, right?” Cheryl laughed, “You can’t just let me be happy, can you?”

Heather’s eyebrows knit together. “I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin-”

“My relationship with Toni? Yeah, you won’t.”

“Because you two broke up?”

“Because, _Heather,_ I finally found someone who deserves my attention.”

“The thing I had with Bret is over. I ended things as soon as we broke up. You can even ask him about it and I’m sure he’d tell you that I stopped it. I forgive you for cheating on me with Toni because, honestly, I deserved that.”

“What makes you so sure that I forgive you for everything you’ve done to me?”

“I… guess I just assumed that-”

“That I would forgive you for ignoring me, avoiding me, yelling at me when I tried to visit, refusing to hang out with me and my friends, cheat on me, not tell me you love me, bullying Toni, and trying to break up me and my girlfriend?”

“I’m different now.”

“Because you broke up with the guy you were cheating on me with? Yeah, right.”

“Would you stop putting words in my mouth!” Heather yelled and both girls were surprised. “Shit, I- _shit,_ I didn’t mean to yell.”

“We don’t need to talk, Heather, we’re done here. I’m taking my stuff back and you’ll never see me again.”

“Please, don’t say that, Cher-”

“ _Don’t_ call me that,” Cheryl’s nickname was reserved for a select few people. Those few people did not include her ex-girlfriend. “You lost that right.”

“Okay, okay, can I just- just give you this letter?” Heather pulled out a folded sheet of paper out of her pocket, “It’s an explanation for everything I’m feeling and it’ll be better if you just read it.”

“Whatever,” she plucked it out of Heather’s nimble fingers and stuck it in the box. “Can I go now or do you have me locked in here somehow?”

Heather stepped aside and gestured toward the door which Cheryl walked toward with her box in hand. As soon as she was out of the room, she exhaled and shook her head. 

That was so fucked.

“Hey, Red!”

“Shove it, Bret.”

*

“Are you going to read it?” Toni asked.

They were sitting on Cheryl’s bed with the box still unpacked and the college-ruled notebook paper in her hand. She hadn’t unfolded it but the contents of the paper had her curious up until the point where Toni had arrived home from work.

“I don’t know. What do you think I should do?”

Toni sighed and looked at it. “What is your heart telling you?”

“That I should let you read it,” she stretched her arm out to hand it to Toni.

She laughed, “No, this is your business, Cher.”

The redhead groaned and flopped on her bed.

“Can I tell you what I would do?”

“Please.”

“I would read it and then I’d burn it. A good closing to a really shitty book.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“You know I am, beautiful,” Toni hovered over her and kissed her nose. “I’ll leave you alone so you can read it in private. If you need me, I’ll be watching TV downstairs.”

“Fine.”

Toni left the room and Cheryl took a few deep breaths before laying her eyes on the mysterious note again. Reading it would be good for closure because their public break-up was nothing less than heart-wrenching. Cheryl stayed in her bed for a few days and cried while Toni tried to console her.

Finally gathering up the courage to unfold the note, she sat up and read it.

_**Dear Cheryl,**_

****

_**When we first met, I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world. Your red hair, dark brown eyes, flawless perfection, your cheerleading status, ambition, and passion were what brought me closer to you. You were cold at first, which I quickly realized that it was due to your mother’s display of love toward you and I sympathized. I wanted you to feel like you were able to express yourself whenever we were together so I worked hard to earn your affection. I came out to you nonchalantly which gave you the power to do the same and, ever since that night underneath the football stands when you told me about your interest in girls, it was my mission to help you through that. I gave you the confidence to come out to your mom and then you seemed less cold. We got really close and we kissed on a drunken night. You talked to me and we both confirmed our feelings for one another and then we were inseparable. We fell in love like teenager’s do and I spent all my life waiting for the perfect girl to come my way, but as I see it now, I was waiting all my life waiting for you. You helped me through so much and you were there for me even if I didn’t need you to be.**_

****

**_We started growing apart at the end of the summer because I was focusing on my future and you were focusing on me. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize that. We stopped telling each other we loved one another and then I got accepted into Stonewall and everything changed as soon as I moved in. I won’t lie, I did have a lot of work that required my attention but it wasn’t as much as you thought. After being so involved with you and your life, I needed a break and I should have voiced those concerns to you before you were feeling left out. That was my mistake. I was lonely too so I turned to Bret and it was probably the worst decision I’ve ever made. I wish I could take it all back and tell you how much I love you. I never stopped and I don’t think I will for a while. I know you cheated on me with Toni and it was honestly a shock. I thought you would’ve broken up with me first and I’m not exactly sure why you didn’t but I forgive you. I hope you can forgive me for everything I’ve done because we were so perfect together._**

****

**_Let’s start with a clean slate. I don’t want to lose you forever. I’m not trying to break your relationship with Toni, I just needed to tell you how I felt because whenever I try, I seem to lose the words. Whenever you need me, I will be waiting for you as you have always waited for me._**

****

_**Thank you for everything. I love you.**_

****

**_Heather_**

Cheryl wiped away a few tears.

She wasn’t sad, she was frustrated and angry. The audacity that this girl has to try and repair Cheryl from the wounds she made herself was absolutely aggravating. She is trying to play the victim, trying to make it sound like they were even. They were nowhere near even.

Heather’s words were making her sick.

She took the letter and went downstairs to Toni.

“TT?”

“Yeah? Are you okay?” She paused her show immediately and turned to face her.

“You wanna help me start a fire?” She smiled.

“Yes, ma’am,” she followed Cheryl into the kitchen and hugged her from behind. “You’re seriously okay though?”

“Yeah. This letter is bullshit and I finally have the upperhand,” she turned to face Toni, “after all those months when she was hurting me, she is now wallowing in her own guilt and confessed that she’s still in love with me which I will never be able to reciprocate.”

Toni looked her up and down, met her eyes, and smiled, “And why’s that?”

“Because, Toni Topaz, you have my heart. Forever and always.”

The redhead wrapped her arms around Toni and kissed her sweetly. The Serpent smiled and kissed her again and again until they were making out against the kitchen counter. Cheryl was the first to pull away with dark eyes.

“Not now, TT, let’s burn the letter first and then we can get back to that.”

“No…” Toni dragged on and whined.

“Stop being so whiny. Let’s go,” she took her hand and led her out the back door of the house. “I just thought of a new nickname for you. _Whiny Tiny._ ”

“If you tell the boys about that one, I’ll kill you.”

Cheryl laughed as she went to the firepit. “Lighter?”

Toni reached into her pocket and handed her a red BIC lighter that she always kept on her.

Cheryl took the letter on one end and lit a corner of it. She watched the handwriting turn into black wrinkled paper as it drifted off into nothing. She put the paper into the empty firepit and watched it burn.

“Good riddance,” Toni said. “Any last words, Cher?”

The redhead kept her eyes on what was left of the single sheet of paper. “It’s funny how I can watch such a big part of my life shrivel up into nothing. It feels good.”

“Oh, come on, be meaner than that,” Toni urged jokingly.

“I’m not angry, Toni. I was for a moment but I realized she really did help me.”

“How?”

She looked over at Toni as the flames finally took over the entire sheet of white and turned it to black. “Because without her, I would have never started anything with you. In some fucked up way, she led me to you and, for that, I will always be thankful that I dated her in the first place.”

“I love you, Cher.”

“I love you.”

“Now that _that’s_ over,” Toni approached Cheryl and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Can we go upstairs and have some fun?”

Cheryl smiled and kissed her, “Of course, TT.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter to go!!
> 
> i suck at ending stories so any suggestions you guys have would be awesome.


	9. The Night We Met

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter!!

Toni walked downstairs, her gown flowing with the breeze, as she held her cap tightly. The tassel swung loosely as she met the final step and hit the wooden floors of Thistlehouse. “Cher?”

Toni walked into the kitchen and saw Cheryl looking out the window in the back of the house toward the lake.

“Baby?” She called again.

Cheryl turned her head to look at Toni, smiling sadly.

“What’s wrong?”

“We’re graduating, Toni. These four years of our life that we complained about from the start went by so fast and now it’s all over,” she sniffled and looked back toward the lake, “and Jason isn’t here to receive his diploma.”

Toni walked toward her cautiously, “I know, babe, but think about how proud he would be of his sister giving us the last speech we’ll hear as a high schooler. He may not be on the field with us or in the audience, but he is watching over you and I know he’s smiling.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” Toni leaned on the wall beside her girlfriend. “You always said that if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be here. Think about how proud he would have been to see you come this far.”

Cheryl nodded and pursed her lips, “He would’ve loved you.”

Toni met her eyes, “I would’ve been that annoying girl that wouldn’t leave his sister alone, ate all of the snacks in his house, and made fun of him every time I came to your house.”

Cheryl laughed and looked down at her red heels. “You’re right,” she wiped away a tear, “but he would’ve loved you anyway.”

Toni chuckled and looked at the time. They had to be at the school soon. “So grab your cap and gown and get in the car because we’re gonna be late.”

Cheryl kissed her cheek and went into the dining room where she had set her graduation outfit. Riverdale High settled on blue gowns but Cheryl had gotten her way and received a red gown. “My love?”

Toni was taken out of her trance and followed her, “Yeah?”

“Can we take your bike?”

*

The girls drove into the school parking lot with their mix matching gowns blowing in the wind and two black helmets covering their smiling faces. As soon as they parked, they were met with Veronica, Betty, Archie, Reggie, Kevin, Fangs, and Sweet Pea. Toni kicked the stand out and the girls took their helmets off.

“Way to come in with style, Cheryl,” Kevin greeted her.

“Well, you know me. Fashionably late and positively fashionable,” she grinned and embraced him.

“What are you looking at, asshats?” Toni teased her fellow Serpents.

“Your dumbass,” Sweet Pea threw back.

“Guys, the ceremony is going to start soon!” Veronica called and headed toward the building while the rest followed her.

Toni let the others run along while she walked with Cheryl. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Cheer up, honey. You got a bright future ahead of you.”

“There’s no way of knowing that, TT.”

“I do actually because I’m in it,” she smiled and laced her hand with the redhead’s.

“You’re so cute,” Cheryl said shyly and looked ahead of them.

Toni sighed and matched Cheryl’s eyes, “I know.”

*

“...I won’t say every single part of high school was enjoyable but the good parts outweigh the bad and even the worse parts could never amount to any tragedy. To the graduating class - we’ve come this far, let’s continue to impress the ones that underestimate us because I’m always rooting for the underdog and there is no better class of people to represent the underdogs like the Bulldogs. Congratulations, Class of 2020!” Cheryl smiled happily as she stepped away from the microphone.

The audience cheered, even the graduates who were told to stay silent through the ceremony.

Mr. Honey stepped up to the podium and leaned forward with a smile. “It is of the utmost honor to grant the Class of 2020 their rightfully deserved diplomas,” he turned to the students, “please stand.”

The students rose from their metal folding chairs with their hands on their tassels ready to reposition it.

“You may move your tassels from the left to the right,” they all did so. “Congratulations!”

The audience, the graduates, the teachers, even the band cheered as loud as they could. The entire field erupted in vibrant shouting for their loved ones already demanding pictures and smiles from their children. The crowd could probably be heard all the way from Elm Street.

The graduates walked one by one to the bleachers to meet with their family again for pictures, flowers, and hugs.

Toni met with Cheryl as soon as she was off the field. “That speech was amazing! I loved every bit of it!”

“Thank you! Congrats, TT.”

Toni held her hand and brought it up to her knuckles, “Congrats to you,” she kissed her hand then turned to Jughead who was running to embrace her.

“Cheryl?”

The redhead didn’t know who was calling her name because none of her family showed up. Nana Rose couldn’t wheel herself here or drive, for that matter, Penelope ran off with Hal Cooper, her extended family had no interest in her, and her brother passed away in a car crash with their father. The only family she would think would show up would be Penelope because no matter how much she abused her physically and emotionally in her early years, she always suspected a love for her even if it was deep and buried in her heart. Hal could have even dragged her to the commencement to see Betty graduate but she doubted it.

When Cheryl did turn around, she saw the one person she never thought she’d see again.

“I’m not here to fight,” Heather took a step forward and put her open palms up innocently. “I’m just here to congratulate you.”

“Oh,” Cheryl didn’t know how to react. It was rare to see her ex-girlfriend gentle and happy for her, “thank you, Heather.”

“That speech was awesome by the way. No one could have said it better.”

“Thanks.”

They stood there awkwardly. The noise from the proud students around them were muffled, almost silent, as the two ex-girlfriends stood around waiting for the other to start a conversation.

“I, um, I’m proud of you, Cheryl.” Heather said. “I mean that, truly. I know we’ve had our ups and downs and it ended in a mess but I’m always going to be that girl you met sophomore year under the bleachers, okay? I’m not going to tell you I’m in love with you anymore,” she sighed and spoke to Cheryl honestly, “I don’t think I was to tell you the truth. I think I was realizing how much I missed you and your attention and I associated that with how I loved you last summer. What I really want is just for us to be friends. If you need time, I get it-”

“Friends,” Cheryl held out her hand to shake.

Heather looked down at it and exhaled with a smile. “Friends.”

They shook on it.

Cheryl felt Toni’s hand on her shoulder seconds later, “Everything okay, babe?”

“Yeah, TT, we’re good.”

“Okay,” Toni looked at Heather, trying to figure her out. “I still don’t like you,” she said it half-joking and half-not.

“Completely understand. I’m just here to support Cheryl and see a few old friends.”

“Okay, well, Cher, everyone is getting together for a group picture.”

“Cute,” she turned back to Heather, “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course,” she smiled.

Hesitantly, Cheryl hugged her. After all that they’ve been through, a hug felt like a good end. Friendships were always the best way to end something or, in her and Toni’s case, start something new.

*

“You sure you don’t want to go to the party?” Toni asked for what felt like the millionth time.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’d rather have a quiet night in with you,” Cheryl hugged her from behind as Toni took off her rings, “or maybe _not_ so quiet?”

Toni laughed and set down her jewelry. “You sure have a way with words, Bombshell, I’ll give you that,” she leaned back into Cheryl’s embrace and glanced at her in the mirror. “I never pegged you to be the needy one between us.”

“It started with me being needy,” Cheryl sighed, “and it’ll end with me being needy.”

Toni chuckled quietly and turned in her arms. “You know,” she wrapped her arms around her waist, “I’ve been dying to get this dress off of you ever since you put it on.”

“Then you should’ve stopped me while you had the chance,” Cheryl slowly began backing up to her bed. Toni followed her closely.

“Then we would’ve been even later to the ceremony than we already were.”

“I don’t think they would have missed us,” Cheryl kissed her sweetly before she was pushed onto the mattress. Her body bounced on the bed and settled once Toni was hovered over her.

“You sure are a bad influence on me.”

“On the contrary, TT,” her voice shook as Toni’s hands rose on her thighs, “I was addicted when I first laid eyes on you.”

Her fingers outlined the hem of Cheryl’s underwear as she looked at her as if to say: _What am I going to do with you?_

A cold chill ran through Cheryl as she met dark eyes above her and, all of a sudden, the lack of touching became unbearable. Cheryl grabbed Toni’s cheeks and kissed her until Toni had gripped her wrists and pinned her hands above her head. Toni shook her head and clicked her tongue.

“Uh uh, I’m in control, Bombshell. Wait your turn.”

“Make your move,” she shot back.

Toni tried to hold back her smile but it was hard so she covered it up by burying her lips into Cheryl’s neck. She sucked on the skin sweetly but enough so that a mark would be left. Cheryl always bruised easily. 

“Move up the bed and get on your knees.”

Cheryl rolled over to her stomach and crawled up the bed. She was planted on her knees while Toni came up behind her and hugged from behind. She kissed her shoulder as her fingers fumbled with the zipper on the back of Cheryl’s dress. The redhead shivered as she felt herself get more and more undressed. She could feel herself soaking through her underwear.

Toni unzipped her dress fully and Cheryl put her arms up to help with undressing her fully. The Serpent flung the dress behind her, grabbed Cheryl by the back of the neck and forced her down onto her elbows. She reminded her, “Arch your back like a good girl.”

“Yes, Toni,” Cheryl made sure her ass was high up in the air and her chest was down low to the mattress.

The Serpent chuckled lowly to herself and stared down at her girlfriend. She leaned down and began kissing a trail from the middle of her back and toward her risen behind.

The redhead let out a hum of approval.

When Toni reached her behind, she bit her cheek, making Cheryl gasp and laugh.

“Toni! Quit it,” it was a command, she was playing around so Toni let it slide because even though she likes to be in control, she wants their sex life to be fun too.

“Sorry, I love your ass. It’s so fucking perfect,” she laughed against her skin.

Toni’s character that she sometimes takes on when she is trying to seduce Cheryl or when they are being intimate is usually one with a stone face - at least when she tries really hard, but usually when Cheryl laughs at any point, Toni is putty in her hand.

The Serpent leaned back, “You’re perfect.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, start putting your tongue to good use, come on.”

Toni shook her head and smiled as she settled in front of Cheryl’s wet center. She admired the view from where her head was at and licked a thick stripe between her folds. She felt the redhead shiver and groan as her neck relaxed her head into her hands.

Toni smiled at the reaction, she always loved all of Cheryl’s expressions during sex. She used her tongue to flick her clit a few times then wrapped her lips around the little button of nerves to suck.

“ _Shit, Toni…_ ” she breathed as she gripped the sheets beneath her until her knuckles turned white. 

And Toni didn’t let up, not even when Cheryl tried moving away from her mouth. Not because it hurt but because it was so much pleasure in such a sensitive area. 

“Don’t run,” Toni mumbled and pressed a few kisses around her core. “On your back.”

Cheryl did as she was told and rolled over only to be attacked by Toni’s lips on her own. Cheryl moved her hands to hold her cheeks as their tongues wrestled against one another and she could taste herself.

Toni peppered her kisses down her throat, between her breasts, and to her center where she stopped and sucked a dark mark onto her inner thigh.

“Oh, Toni,” she moaned and found her favorite place to hold Toni - the back of her head.

She sucked a dark mark into Cheryl’s skin and, when she pulled away to admire her work, the mark was already a dark shade of purple without any signs of disappearing in sight. She looked up to her and licked her lips, “No more running this time.”

“No more,” Cheryl agreed and waited impatiently for Toni’s mouth to be on her again.

The Serpent leaned forward and kissed her sensitive clit, earning a loud whine from the redhead who couldn’t wait any longer. Toni encapsulated the sensitive button into her mouth and flicked her tongue relentlessly to it.

“Jesus… _fuck…_ ”

The Serpent wrapped her arms around her thick, muscular thighs to keep her still while she ate her out because Cheryl was a squirmer. 

“Your fingers, Toni, _please,_ ” she spoke shakily through a moan.

And, ignoring the fact that the pink-haired girl wanted to be in charge, she couldn’t refuse Cheryl what she asked simply because of how needy this girl was already. She didn’t want to deny her orgasm tonight so she unwrapped her arm around her thigh and spread her legs wider before delving into Cheryl’s dripping pussy with one finger. Toni’s chin was wet with slick, she was sure her entire face was at this point.

Her thrusts came stronger once the redhead had gotten use to the penetration and Toni added another finger, making it two that were being thrusted into the moaning, red-cheeked girl. 

“ _Right,_ ” she took long gasps between each word, “ _fucking… there!_ ”

Toni didn’t let up. She knew Cheryl’s g-spot intimately, like it was on the back of her hand, and she kept pressing into it. Cheryl was close to coming because her walls began pulsating around Toni’s digits.

She added a third finger and kept going no matter how much her muscles begged her to stop. Even her tongue was on its last legs.

“Oh, shit! _Fuck, Toni!_ ” Cheryl had been shot up into the atmosphere and was looking at stars as her back arched high off the bed. 

But Toni kept going while the redhead was chanting, “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

She drove her fingers into her harder than ever, so hard that there was a wet noise that could be heard from around the room of Cheryl’s arousal being used to drive faster into herself. She was powered into her second orgasm where, finally, Toni had slowed down and took mercy on the girl who was so overly sensitive that a third orgasm might have had her passed out.

Toni pressed another kiss against her clit and pulled her fingers out to lick them clean of the Blossom’s heavenly juices. The redhead laid there with a dumb smile on her face while her chest rose and collapsed in a steady manner.

“I am,” she sighed and tried to regulate her breathing back to normal, “as _always…_ one lucky lady.”

Toni giggled as she moved to lay beside her. They watched each other’s eyes carefully.

“I love you,” the redhead said.

The Serpent smiled, “Love you too, babe.”

“Can I eat you out now?”

Toni laughed again and kissed her, “Be my guest.”

Cheryl, finally getting her breath back, sat up and straddled Toni. Leaning down to kiss her, she bit her bottom lip and laughed as it flung back.

She peppered kisses down her body, the same way Toni had done to her, and spread her legs wide.

“It isn’t going to take me a lot to get off, Cher. Just saying.”

“I know, honey, I put on a show for you.”

Toni rolled her eyes and smiled but it soon faded once Cheryl’s tongue moved slowly through her folds.

“Ah, fuck,” she mumbled quietly.

Cheryl moaned against her and began licking her up the same way Toni did.

Seeing how Toni is typically the top and goes time after time without getting off via Cheryl’s tongue, she is seriously affected by being eaten out. When they first started their rules, there was an unspoken one that Toni was the top because Cheryl seldom reciprocated but, when she did, it was the best thing Toni ever felt. The redhead didn’t abstain from reciprocation when asked to do so, but she is just usually the one being fucked.

Her tongue flicked quickly and hard against Toni as her fingers teased her entrance before slowly slipping in.

Toni’s back arched off the bed slightly and moaned.

“I’m almost there, baby. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Cheryl kept on but she went harder and faster. Flicking her tongue at almost double the speed while her fingers were pushing in and out of her.

“Oh, fuck, Cher. _I’m gonna-!_ ”

Toni’s back arched high off of the bed as she gasped and Cheryl slowed down. Cheryl pressed kisses onto her entrance, her folds, and her clit before leading a trail back to her lips.

“You taste amazing by the way,” Cheryl said.

“Ditto,” she was trying to regain herself.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, stealing glances and giggling, and staring up at the ceiling.

“I say that we take a nap,” Toni leaned toward Cheryl, “and go for round two once we wake up.”

The redhead laughed, “agreed.”

Toni settled in and got cozy against the Blossom’s chest. The sun was setting when they had begun their intimate few moments so it was cool and dark in the room now.

As they cuddled in bed with Toni’s quiet breaths puffing in her ear, she looked over at her desk where Toni had set up her camera equipment. Everything was laid out messily, a sign of an organised artist, and she spotted the old camera Toni never dared to part with. The bulletin board of polaroids resembling a collage with mix-matched pins pierced on the white borders to hang up the important moments that didn’t seem so important at the time and, in the center of it all, a photo of Cheryl winking at the camera. The date and context written in Sharpie at the bottom: **_November 1st, 2019 - The Night We Met._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone who read this story. I really thought this was going to a one chapter to add to Sapphic but it became so much more than that. The only inspiration i had for this story was No Interruption by Hoodie Allen, so if you haven't listened to it then feel free to. also, i figured i should give you guys a graduation chapter because i know a lot of you aren't able to attend the graduation walk this year so hope this (maybe?) cheers you up.
> 
> let me know what you guys think! sorry for the delay, i've been protesting for BLM and haven't had much time to write but i'm currently starting a new story so that should be interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this new story! If you like Choni, check out my prison AU "You Don't Look Good in Orange"


End file.
